Some Things Never Change
by Log9644
Summary: Rose Hathaway is a famous singer who is going back home for her high school reunion. It has been 5 years since she stepped foot into St. Vladimir's and 5 years since she has seen her high school sweetheart Dimitri Belikov. Will they reconnect and work through the issues that caused them to split in the first place? Mostly rated T but with some lemons (which will be marked)
1. Chapter 1

**RPOV**

Oh shit!

That is the only thought running through my head at the moment as I look around the old gym filled with people that used to be my friends. However, I'm not thinking "oh shit" about everyone in the room. Just one particular person is making my mind race as I try to figure out if I should stay and try to blend in hoping he won't see me, or if I should run out of here as fast as possible, hop in my rental car, drive to the airport, hop on a flight, and go back to L.A. It seems as though I don't have a choice now because as I focus back on the him, I am staring straight into the most beautiful brown eyes I have ever seen in my life. He is staring me down, not breaking eye contact even to blink. I take this time to rip my eyes away from his and look him up and down. I haven't seen this man in five years, but those years have done him well. I mean REALLY well. He was always good looking but now he is definitely the hottest man I have ever seen in my life, which says a lot because being a famous singer in L.A., I have seen a lot of hot guys before. His brown hair has grown down to the top of his shoulders. His face looks more angular and his jaw is much sharper (which just makes him that much sexier). He now stands at about 6'7", which means he has grown about 3 or 4 inches since the last time I saw him. His broad shoulders and chest are hard and muscular, along with his huge, muscled arms. I see that he still works out like a mad man (some things never change). As I look at him, I see he is wearing a pair of black dress shoes and slacks, a light blue button up shirt tucked in that fits him just right and shows off his muscles without being too tight, and a black tie that surprisingly is long enough for his extremely long torso. After checking him out for what seems like hours, I finally meet his eyes again, which are still looking right into mine. Those damn eyes. Those big, beautiful, chocolate brown eyes that make me melt. Those eyes that have been haunting my dreams since the day I met him. After I make eye contact with him again, he starts to walk over to me. HOLY SHIT! He is walking right towards me! I can't think or breathe. I feel like I should run but I know it won't do any good, and I'm more of a facing-things-head-on kind of person. Well I have about five seconds until he is standing in front of me so I might as well pray to God that my brain can function enough to form a coherent sentence once he gets here.

**DPOV**

High school reunions. Enough said. I honestly have absolutely no clue why I thought it was a good idea to come to this thing. I mean sure, I am a high school gym teacher so I'm here in this gym every day, but why did I decide to come and spend my weekend in the same room I work in every day? Yeah it is great to see all my old high school friends but honestly, the ones I care about still live here so I see them all the time. Actually, that is not true. Hell none of this is true. I know exactly why I came to this reunion. It was in hopes of seeing the one person that I have dreamed about every night for the last five years. I know there is a very large possibility that she won't come. She lives all the way in L.A. and is known worldwide as one of the best pop artists of the decade! Why on earth would she want to come back to Montana to see all of her old high school friends that she hasn't even bothered to call and talk to? I don't blame her. This has been her dream since the first day I met her. I'm thrilled that she has made it as far as she has. I just wish I could have been there to see it all happen instead of having to watch through tabloids and newspapers.

As I stand here pretending to talk to some guy that is bragging about all of his accomplishments since high school, I am wishing she would walk through the door. All of a sudden, the atmosphere of the room changes, at least to me. Everyone else doesn't seem to notice much, but I do. I can feel a presence that I haven't felt in five years, and it is a presence I wish I could feel every day for the rest of my life. I turn around to confirm if my suspicions are correct and am met with the same dark brown eyes and hair that I have been dreaming of since the day we met. As I look into those amazing eyes, I can't move away. Everything and everyone in the room has disappeared and I cannot even break eye contact with her long enough to blink. She is the first to break eye contact and looks me up and down a few times. I take this time to do the same and find that the woman standing in front of me is even more beautiful than the high school head cheerleader that I knew. Her dark brown almost black hair is almost waist length now and her face is more slender than it used to be. She still has those same cupid bow lips and almond colored skin that I remember. Her body is still slender but her curves have become much more pronounced, giving her the perfect hourglass figure that most models would kill for. I can also see that her chest has gotten larger and that it looks absolutely perfect in the tight blood red dress she is wearing, which shows just enough cleavage and legs to not look slutty or trashy but still makes her look unbelievably sexy. She is still the same 5'7" height she has been since high school but with the 6 inch black stiletto heels she has on, she is much closer to my height. I look up to her eyes again about a second before she looks into mine and our gaze locks again. Before I even realize what I am doing, I start walking up to her. SHIT! Why am I walking up to her?! What am I going to say?! I am so stupid! Okay think, what am I going to say once I get up to her? Well I guess I'm gonna have to wing it because I am now standing directly in front of her looking like a complete and total idiot.

My mouth is completely dry and my mind is spinning. However, as I'm about to say the first thing that pops into my mind, I am interrupted by the sweetest voice that I have ever heard and have desperately missed these last five years.

"Well well well, if it isn't Mr. Dimitri Belikov as I live and breathe," she said with the same man-eating grin she used to use (some things never change).

"Rose Hathaway. It has been a long time. Haven't seen you in, what, five years?" I said with as much confidence as I could muster. I kept my face emotionless, hoping she wouldn't see my nervousness.

"Well I see you're as stoic as ever Comrade. I figured after five years you would start to have some emotions," she said with a little bitterness in her voice. What the hell did I do? I'm not the one that left to go to L.A., but I'm not mad or bitter towards her. And did she use my old nickname? I never thought I would miss that but now I want to hear her call me Comrade every day from now on.

"You should know better than anyone Roza, that I am fully capable of feeling and expressing my emotions when I want to," I said, still keeping my mask up to hide my disappointment that she wasn't even a little happy to see me. I can't believe that she would think I didn't have any feelings. I guess some things really never do change.

**RPOV**

After the shortest five seconds of my life, he is standing right in front of me, eye contract never breaking. I am so nervous that I don't even wait for him to say the first "hello" and say the first thing that pops into my head.

"Well well well, if it isn't Mr. Dimitri Belikov as I live and breathe," I say giving him my best man eating grin and hiding my nervousness with wittiness like always.

"Rose Hathaway. It has been a long time. Haven't seen you in, what, five years?" he said with his slight Russian accent I love so much, but with absolutely no emotion in his voice or on his face. Same Dimitri, never showing emotion. Well that's not true. I used to be one of the few people that he would actually show his real emotions to. I'm just still bitter and want him to know it.

"Well I see you're as stoic as ever Comrade. I figured after five years you would start to have some emotions," I said, throwing in the old nickname I used to use that I know he hates.

"You should know better than anyone Roza, that I am fully capable of feeling and expressing my emotions when I want to," he said. Damn. He knows how much I love it when he uses my Russian name. I knew he was right. He was always very open with his feelings and emotions, well with me at least. I know I'm being hard on him like always, but some things never change.


	2. Chapter 2

**RPOV**

We stand there in awkward silence for what feels like forever just looking into each other's eyes, having a staring contest of who would break first. I know I am being stubborn, not just about the staring contest, but about my bitterness towards him. It's been five years and I should let bygones be bygones, but I can't help it. After we graduated high school, I told him I was moving to L.A. to fulfill my dreams to become a singer. I thought he understood that and I'm sure he did, but I always dreamed that he would drop everything and come with me. I know it's a selfish thing to think and I shouldn't have expected him to do that, but we dated for two years. I was completely in love with him. I still remember the first day I laid eyes on him.

**Flashback**

_It was my first day of junior year. I wasn't all that excited. It just meant that I had one year left after this before I could leave this crappy town and move to L.A. I was walking to my locker when my best friend Lissa ran up._

_"Have you seen the new guy? I heard he is an escaped convict from Russia and that he's here hiding from the Russian government!" she screamed. Lissa always had a flair for the dramatic and loved her gossip._

_I laughed and said, "Liss that is absolutely ridiculous. There is no way in hell that any of that is true. Where did you hear that?" I opened my locker and put away my backpack and grabbed my stuff for English Literature._

_"Camille told me. She said her parents are good friends with the principle and that they told her that Principle Kirova said he's from Russia and is here to 'escape',"_

_I just shook my head and said, "Liss did you ever think that when she said 'escape' she meant leave for a different life? Not literally escape from the Russian government?"_

_"Oh," she said, "I guess that would make more sense. But regardless, I heard he is super hot. Like really REALLY hot!"_

_"How do you know? You thought he was a Russian criminal-turned-refugee," I laughed. Liss was a beautiful person, with long, straight, platinum blond hair and gorgeous jade green eyes. She wasn't just beautiful on the outside. She was the kindest person I had ever met in my life and sometimes, she was so kind that she wanted to trust everyone and tended to believe even the most ridiculous rumors, like this one._

_"Okay, you have a point, but if you see him, let me know. I want to know how much about the rumors are true," Liss said right as her boyfriend Christian came up to walk her to class._

_The first bell rang and I closed my locker and started walking to class. I wasn't paying much attention because I was double checking which classroom my first hour was in, when all of a sudden, I ran into a wall. At least, I thought it was a wall. Right as I was bracing myself for my inevitable fall, a pair of strong arms flew around my waist to catch me before I hit the ground. When I looked up I was captivated by the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes I had ever seen. My whole body was on fire (in an amazing way) being wrapped up in this stranger's arms, and even though I didn't know him, I felt safe. The stranger set me back on my feet and released me from his hold, still holding my gaze._

_"I am s-so sorry Miss, I-I didn't see you there. Are-are you alright?" he said stuttering a little, with an accent I had never heard of before. Now, getting a full view of him, he was HOT! Then I realized, this must be the new Russian student. Well at least the rumor mill got something right for once._

_"I-I'm fine. It's not your fault, I-I wasn't looking where I was going," I stuttered just as much as he did and a red heat started to creep onto my cheeks. I looked down and tucked some hair behind my ear trying to distract from my obvious blushing. Why was he making me so nervous? Rose Hathaway does not get nervous over a guys, and she especially doesn't blush! Then a thought occurred to me. He's new and this school was not exactly small. So I looked up at him and being nice, I asked, "Are um, are you new? If you are I uh, I could show you to your class. It's a pretty big school and it can be confusing."_

_The guy smiled a breathtaking smile that made me completely melt. "That would be really great. I-I just moved here from Russia. My name's Dimitri Belikov," he said and stuck out his hand for me to shake._

_I smiled, all of a sudden not so nervous since seeing his beautiful smile. "Rose Hathaway. It's nice to meet you." I stuck out my hand out to meet his and when our hands touched, it was like an electric shock went through me. His eyes widened and I realized he must have felt it too._

_"The pleasure is all mine," and he kissed my knuckles. I looked down again blushing but quickly recovered._

_"So, you're the Russian student everyone has been talking about. You know you don't look like a criminal or a runaway but I guess you can't believe everything you hear," I said winking and laughed, hoping he understood I was only kidding._

_"Where did you hear that from," he said in a serious tone and all of a sudden, all of the emotion was gone from his face._

_"Relax I was only kidding. I didn't mean to offend you," I said putting my hands up in surrender. Geez, touchy subject I guess. That or he didn't have much of a sense of humor. Weird. "So," I said after an awkward pause, "What is your first period?"_

_"English Literature with a Mr. Alto," he said, his voice still serious and all the emotions still clear of his face. I looked into his eyes and could see some uncertainty and another emotion I couldn't quite put my finger on. This guy was good._

_"Well lucky for you Comrade, I have the same class so I will take you there," I said with a smile, hoping that and my new clever nickname would relax him a little bit._

_He raised an eyebrow after I used his new nickname and asked, "Comrade?" Finally he started to relax a little and I could see the amusement in his eyes._

_I shrugged. "It fits," was the only answer I gave him. "Sooo, class? Luckily it's just down this hall and we don't want to be late, especially for Alto's. He's a grade A asshole."_

_He smiled again, making my legs almost turn to Jell-O. We started walking down the hallway to the class. "You know it doesn't seem very polite to call a teacher names," he said teasing. So he did have some sense of humor. I wondered why he freaked out earlier. We made it to the class right before the bell rang and took the last two seats left, which were right by each other. I spent the rest of the catching Dimitri stealing glimpses of me and knew right then and there, this year was going to be fun._

**End Flashback**

I was pulled out of my flashback and the staring contest Dimitri and I were still in when I heard a squeal that I would know from anywhere. Lissa.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow 3 chapters in one day! I'm pretty proud of myself. I forgot to put a disclaimer on the last two chapters but I will start now**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. They belong to the amazing author of Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead.**

**RPOV**

Lissa. The best friend I have ever had. I met Lissa in Kindergarten when we were paired together and had to spell each other's names. Spelling Rosemarie Hathaway and Vasilisa Dragomir was a real bitch for two 5 years old. Me with my wonderful temper (note the sarcasm) threw a textbook at the teacher. We were inseparable after that. However, when I moved to L.A. I didn't keep in contact much and we drifted apart. Well more specifically, I drifted apart. It is something I have felt guilty for every day. I knew she would welcome me back with open arms if I called her up and wanted to talk or fly her out to visit, but I felt too awful to drag her back into my life and risk losing contact again.

Lissa squeals the entire time as she runs over to me. She throws her arms around me and hugs me as tight as she can. I have missed her so much and it wasn't until this moment that I realized just how much. When we are hugging, it feels like a huge watermelon is in the way. That's when I notice her belly. "Holy shit Lissa you're pregnant?!"

She wipes the happy tears from her eyes and starts laughing. "Yep! One month left before I pop!" she says excitedly.

"Wow! Who's the lucky guy?"

"Who do you think?" she laughs as a guy with shaggy black hair and icy blue eyes comes up and places a hand on the small of her back. He looks at me smiling.

"Long time no see Hathaway," he says with that smirk he would give me every time we would bicker and fight during high school.

"Christian Ozera! Well I just can't believe it! Who knew you were man enough to get Lissa pregnant," I joke as I step up and hug him.

He laughs and hugs me back. "I did more than that Rose. I married her too," he says as he grabs Lissa's left hand and shows me her ring.

My mouth drops open. I can't believe it. Lissa got married. I try to hide my sadness and disappointment. What kind of friend am I? I missed my best friend's wedding! Sure I didn't know it was going on, but I still should have been there. I hug Lissa again. "I am so happy for you Liss, and I am so sorry I haven't been in touch."

"I'm so sorry Rose. I should have tried to contact you and invite you to the wedding. I would have to but I didn't have your number and I couldn't find your real address. I sent an invitation but it probably got mixed in with your fan mail," she says as she looks down in guilt.

"Oh Liss it's not your fault. I should have contacted you. I can't believe it has been so long! I mean you are married and pregnant! How did I miss that?!"

"And you became a world famous superstar! A lot has happened since high school," she laughs and states matter-of-factly. "I can't believe you are here though! Don't you have a tour or something going on right now? Why come back for your boring high school reunion?"

"I do but I have a month break and my publicist said it would be good for me to get away from the public eye for a while. When I saw the invitation I thought it presented a good opportunity," I say. The whole time, in the corner of my eye, I can see Dimitri watching and listening intently. That's Dimitri for you. He's there but he's just a quiet observer, the opposite of me. I always have to put my two cents in. He can just stand there all stoic and sexy and…what? Whoa. Don't know where that came from. He just makes me so…so…I don't know. My mind always goes right to the gutter when I'm near him.

"Well I'm so glad you're here! How long are you staying? Where are you staying? We should go shopping! If you stay till next weekend you can come to my baby shower! Oh my parents have missed you!" she starts rambling.

"Whoa there Lissa, slow your roll," I laugh. "I haven't figured out how long I am staying. I'm staying at a hotel and I would love to go to your baby shower. I just have to call my manager and my publicist and make sure my schedule is clear to stay the rest of the week," I said trying to answer all of her questions. I can feel Dimitri stiffen a little when I say I'm staying for the rest of the week. From fear, nervousness, or excitement, I can't tell. Lissa squeals, again and pulls me into a bear hug. Jeez, for a pregnant lady, she is really strong. Seeing Lissa has made this entire reunion worth it.

**DPOV**

I can't believe it. Rose is staying for an entire week. I feel a range of emotions from this news. Rose is the love of my life. I have loved her since the first moment we bumped into each other in the hallway. I have loved her since the first touch of our hands when I felt the electricity and spark between us. I let my Roza go once and I don't plan on doing it again. I have one week to come up with a plan to get her back, or at least get her to stay longer. That can't be so hard can it? I just have to figure out how to make her forgive me first. I don't know why she is angry with me or if she still loves me as much as I love her, but I intend to find out. We aren't just high school sweethearts, we are soul mates and I want, no, I _need_ to have her for the rest of my life.

**So I know it is kind of slow going. I am working on building it up but the chapters are pretty short so far and I just kind of wanted to set the stage and get the important information out of the way. Please review I love advice and constructive criticism! I'm not sure where I am going with this story yet so if you have any ideas PM me and I will consider them! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character, just the story line!**

**DPOV**

As Lissa and Rose continue to talk, Christian turns to me. "Jeez Belikov, it's just like old times isn't it? You and me waitin' around for the girls to stop talking. Wanna go get a drink? I heard there's an open bar" he says pointing over to a table between two bunches of balloons next to a table filled with punch, cookies, and some finger foods.

With one more look at Rose's smiling and happy face, I nod to Christian and we walk over. We both order beer, which is pretty much the only thing they are serving. As we stand here for a minute sipping our beer, I look over to Rose again. She is so beautiful. So beautiful that it hurts. As I stand, gawking at her, Christian clears his throat. "Sooo….," he starts. He looks like he has something to say but he's afraid to say it. That's weird. Christian has never been afraid to say what's on his mind. It's why he and Rose bicker all the time. They are too much alike.

"If you have something to say Christian, just say it."

"Well, Rose is back. How uh, how ya feel about that?" he asks looking like he thinks I might punch him for asking. I kind of want to because I don't want to think about what I'm feeling having her back, let alone talk to him about it.

After a minute of thinking, I finally cave. "Honestly, I don't know. I haven't stopped thinking about her for five years. I finally thought I was over her, until I got that damn reunion invitation. I figured she wouldn't come but…here she is. You wanna know what the crazy part is? It feels like she never left. Although, she is pretty pissed off. I don't know why though," I ramble on thinking it feels good to get it off my chest. Christian is the closest thing I had to a best friend in high school and we have stayed close throughout the years. He's one of the few people I can show my emotions to.

"Look, I remember how you two were in high school. You guys were so in love that it even put Lissa and I's relationship to shame, and we were, and still are, super in love. Plus, we got together long before you guys did. I can see you still love her, and I'm just as surprised as you are that she's here. Now that she is though, what are you gonna do about it? You let her go once, do you really wanna do it again?" He looked genuinely concerned that I would let her go. He and Lissa more than anyone have seen how lonely and miserable I have been the last five years. Just when I was starting to get better, she came back and I think he's afraid I will go back to being as depressed as I was when she left the first time.

"I want her back. I don't want her to leave again. I didn't put up a fight the first time because I knew how much she wanted to leave. Now though, I am gonna fight and do whatever it takes to get her back," I say with complete determination.

"That's the spirit! Okay so what's the plan? She's here till the end of the week and she said she had a month off before her tour starts up again. I say you're best bet is to come up with a plan to get her to extend her trip to the end of the month, then come up with a plan to get her back," Christian says with that evil mastermind glint in his eyes he gets every time he schemes.

"What are you two gossiping about over here?" Lissa interrupts as she and Rose walk up to us. Rose walks past me to order some wine from the bartender. As she walks past me, I can smell that familiar scent of jasmine and rose. I have always loved the way she smelled. Snap out of it Belikov! Focus on the task at hand. Okay think, how are you going to get her to stay. Better yet, how are you going to get her to forgive you? I don't know why she's mad but I'm going to find out. Okay, first part of the plan, find out why she's mad and get her to forgive you by the end of the night. Okay, now just to get her to engage in a civil conversation.

**RPOV**

Lissa and I are catching up about everything. She tells me that Christian is a chemistry teacher at the high school now and she is a nurse. She also tells me that about two years ago her parents and brother died in a car crash. I'm really sad to hear about that. Her parents were amazing people and I looked at them as my own. The same went for her brother, Andre. It made me guilty too. Just another thing in her life that I should have been there for and I wasn't. As Lissa and I are talking, I notice Dimitri and Christian are walking over to the bar. As I watch them walk over, Lissa notices and follows my line of vision. "So," she starts, "What were you and Dimitri talking about before Christian and I came up?"

"Not much, honestly," I say bluntly with that same tone of bitterness I used when I was talking to him. I can see Lissa pursing her lips and squinting her eyes, trying to hold something back. "What? I know that look. If you have something to say, spit it out Liss."

"Oh, well, I was just trying to figure out why you sound so angry when talking about Dimitri. You know, he was a wreck after you left. Still kind of is honestly. Hasn't dated anyone or even been on a single date since you left, even though I know there have been quite a few offers. What do you have to be angry at him for?" I have never heard Lissa be so blunt before. She's always been so shy and reserved. I guess Christian must have rubbed off on her too much over the last few years.

I was a little shocked when she said he hasn't even gone on a date. Sure, I haven't had a serious boyfriend since him, but I've gone on a few dates. As much as I don't want to tell her my reason for being angry with him because it's so selfish, I decide to tell her anyways. "I know I shouldn't be angry with him Liss. He was so amazing and understanding when I left. It's just…I wanted him to come with me. I wanted him to follow me. I know that it's selfish but he didn't even fight for me. He didn't fight for us. He just said 'do what you have to do, I understand.' I know it should have been a relief that we didn't end in a terrible fight but I kind of wish we had. It just feels like there are so many unresolved feelings between us and I can't shake the feeling of what would have happened if he had fought for me. Would I have considered staying? Would he have come with me? I don't know, it probably sounds stupid."

"It doesn't sound stupid or selfish Rose," she says with an understanding smile. "I know he should have fought for you. Christian and I gave him hell for it after you left. I think he really regrets it too. And I know there are unresolved feelings between you two. You never got closure. It's why he never moved on and why you are still holding a grudge against him. I saw the way you two were looking at each other before we started talking. I know he still loves you and I think you still love him too."

With every word coming out of her mouth, I know she's right. Even after all these years, I still love him. The problem is, I just don't know how it would work. My life is in L.A. I have no privacy. I live in the public eye. Do I really want to drag Dimitri into all of that? Will he even want me back if it means all of those things? What if he gives up everything for me and resents me for it later on? What if I give everything up for him and resent him in the end? My brain is spinning with all of the unanswered questions. I know what I need to do though. "Liss, I want him back. Truly I do, but…there's just so many unanswered questions. We live such different lives now. I just don't know if we would be able to get through all the obstacles."

"Well then," she says with a new found determination in her voice, "we are just going to have to get those questions answered. You are here for the rest of the week. That is plenty of time to figure it all out. Let's just start with a drink shall we?"

I laugh. "Liss you can't even drink."

"But you can. Plus Mr. tall, dark, and handsome keeps looking over here so you should probably move closer so all these people don't get caught up in your sexual tension," she says winking and starts to walk over to the bar, with me laughing and shaking my head beside her.

When we get up there, and Lissa interrupts them, I walk past Dimitri to get a drink. As I walk past, I can smell his familiar aftershave. God, I love his aftershave. Okay, focus Rose, just order a drink and act causal. I order a wine, since that and beer is all they are offering. When I get it, I walk and stand next to Dimitri. He looks down at me and we make eye contact again. I love his eyes. I just love everything about him. I just love him. All of him. I have missed him so much and all I want to do is grab him and kiss him, but I know that we still have a lot of talking to do before we can even think about that.

**I finally have an idea (kind of) of where I want this story to go. I still would love people's inputs though! PM me with your ideas if you have any and review to let me know how I'm doing! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I AM SO SORRY! I know it has been forever since I updated! Not to make pathetic excuses but my laptop was a piece of crap and I was so busy that I didn't have time to write. HOWEVER, I just got a new laptop and I am finally not quite so busy. I will try to update soon but no promises, I still have a full time job for during summer break.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own VA**

**RPOV**

As I stand by the bar with Dimitri, Lissa, and Christian, a guy I don't remember from high school walks up to a microphone next to a bunch of DJ equipment that is on the small stage at the end of the gym. He welcomes everyone and says "let's gets this party started" by playing some techno crap they play at clubs. If you ask me, this is far from a party. Even though I was super popular and the head cheerleader, high school sucked and I do not want to interact with these people anymore. Even though I would like to say that I have no clue why I came back, I know exactly why I chose here to spend my time away instead of the Bahamas or somewhere tropical. I wanted to see my friends, well more importantly, my ex-boyfriend.

As the techno music plays, Dimitri and I stay quiet as we listen to Lissa and Christian discuss plans for the baby's room and baby names and all things baby pretty much. Eventually the techno music dims and a slow song starts to play. More importantly, it's Dimitri and I's song. 'I'll Be' by Edwin McCain starts playing and all eyes are on Dimitri and I. Everyone knows this is our song. It's the song we danced to when we got prom King and Queen. It was no secret that Dimitri and I were truly in love in high school and the second this song came on, it reminded everyone that the two lovers from high school are standing together again five years later.

Now don't get me wrong, I love attention. Hell, I live for it. It's my job to be the center of attention, but right now, I hate all the stares. I just want to scream 'What the fuck do you think you're looking at?' but years in the public eye have trained me to be able to hold my tongue. I must have really zoned out there for a minute because the next thing I know, my hand is being grabbed and I am being pulled out to the dance floor. I look up and meet Dimitri's eyes as he takes my right hand in his left, places my other hand on his shoulder, and wraps his right arm about my waist, drawing me closer to him. For a minute, I am so completely stunned and focused on our close proximity that I can't speak. All I can do is stare into those gorgeous brown eyes that, for the first time tonight, are showing emotion. The emotion is so clear that it is like a slap in the face. Love. Pure, unadulterated love.

Snapping out of my revelry, I finally find my voice. "What are you doing?" I ask, pulling away slightly but remain dancing with him.

"What does it look like? I'm dancing with you. Everyone was staring and this is our song, so I thought it was the only logical thing to do," he says with a hint of a smirk on his face.

In all this closeness, I forget that I am still angry with him. However, being this close to him feels like home. I feel warm, cherished, loved, things that only he can make me feel. Slowly, my resolve to be angry with him begins to fade. I let out a huff of breath and look away from him, over to Lissa and Christian who are smiling at us. I can see Lissa "Awwwwee" and Christian give me a wink. I just roll my eyes and continue to look anywhere other than Dimitri's amazing eyes.

"Why are you so angry with me Roza?" I look up at Dimitri and see him furrowing his brows and looking genuinely confused by my hostility, even though I have let most of it go since we started dancing.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, looking away from him yet again because I know that he can make me break and tell my deepest, darkest secrets just by one look into my eyes.

"Earlier, you seemed angry with me. I haven't seen you in five years. Why are you upset with me? I'm sorry for looking so emotionless earlier," he says looking down a little embarrassed, "I was just nervous seeing you again and wanted to try to hide it."

I let out a long sigh. "That's not why I'm angry Dimitri."

He furrows his brow again. "Then why? I haven't seen, nor talked to you in years. What did I do?" I know that he wants to fix it, even though he doesn't know what there is to fix or that it can't be fixed anyways.

"Why didn't you come after me?" I blurt out not thinking. My eyes slightly widen out of shock of what I just asked him. It has been a question I have wondered every day since I left but I never thought I would actually have the guts to ask him it.

Dimitri too looks slightly shocked by my question. He stops dancing for a minute while he thinks. We both stand there in our dancing position, so close to each other, and I watch as he tries to come up with something to say.

"I didn't think you wanted me too," was his genius answer. I scoffed. Really? That's his excuse? Suddenly, my anger is back.

"Of course I wanted you to!" I whisper shout, not wanting the dancing couples around us to hear. "I loved you! I wanted to leave here, this town, this school. Not you! I wanted you, always, and all I got was a 'have a nice life' when I told you I was actually leaving!"

I could see the stubbornness and anger in his eyes. This is one of the biggest similarities between the two of us. We are both stubborn and we both fight to control or anger. His control, which has always been better than mine, however, seems to have just snapped.

"I thought that was what you wanted! You told me from day one that you wanted to move away for your music. I knew you would leave and I didn't want to hold you back! I loved you and I didn't want to hold you back from your dreams! I let you go because I knew if I didn't, you would resent me for trying to keep you here!" His eyes were filled with anger, sadness, and what looked to be regret.

I needed some fresh air and somewhere to cool off. I also needed to get away from him before I burst into tears. I pulled out of his grasp, which he still had me in even though we were no longer dancing and the song had already changed, and I quickly walked to the door and went outside. The air was cool and crisp, as it usually is on Montana nights. I wrapped my arms around myself and took a deep, cleansing breath. I needed to calm down. If I wanted to work things out with Dimitri, I couldn't get angry and walk away every time we disagreed on something. And I knew that there were going to be a lot of disagreements and compromises to come if we could find a way to try and work it out.

I heard the door open quietly and I knew that he was out here. Of course he would follow me. He always did when I got angry, which was a lot. When you have my parents and my anger issues, you tend to have to walk away a lot. I could smell his aftershave and I knew he was standing closely behind me.

He let out a long breath. "I'm so sorry Roza. You have no idea how much I regret walking away. I just thought that was what you wanted. I wanted to fight for you, but I also didn't know how to make it work. I knew you didn't want to stay here and I didn't want to move to L.A. I also knew that if we somehow managed to work it out and stay together long distance that it would ruin our relationship and we would resent each other for not making enough time to be together or not visiting enough. I wanted you to succeed as much as you did and I didn't want to distract you. So many times over the years I wanted to come to L.A. to find you, but then I would turn on the T.V. or pick up a magazine, or go on the Internet and you were there. You did it Roza. You got the career you always wanted. You're living your dream. Seeing how much you have accomplished made me want to keep my distance and let you be happy. I didn't want to distract you or make you think you had to choose between your career and me. I let you go because I loved you. I still love you. Forever and always."

By the end of his speech, silent tears were sliding down my cheeks. He loved me so much that he let me go. He wanted me to be happy. He wanted me to fulfill my dreams. He regretted it but he stuck to his decision because he believed it was the right thing to do. His words made me fall even deeper into love with him.

I turned around and looked into his eyes. They were full of love and regret. I understood. I finally understood why he did what he did. I didn't want to talk, to argue, any more with him. Instead, I reached up and threaded my right hand through his hair and placed my left hand on his cheek, drawing his face towards mine. I kissed his lips and tried to show him how much I loved him and that I understood. The kiss was soft and sweet and made me weak at the knees. God, I had missed him. This just feels so right! I broke away from the kiss and looked into his eyes again. "I love you. I never stopped. Forever and always." With that his lips devoured mine again and the kiss turned passionate.

Suddenly, I heard someone clear their throat. "Well, now this really does feel like old times. Me having to break up you two before you start going at it in a public place," a familiar voice says. The scent of clove cigarettes and expensive cologne fill the air. I turn around and see Adrian Ivashkov, leaned against the side of the gym building smoking a cigarette. You know, some things will never change.

**I will try to update ASAP! I'm working on a new story as well but I won't be uploading it until I get a few more chapters of this story done as well as that one. However, the title is "Here's Your One Chance Rose Don't Let Me Down." I know, long title haha but it is based off the song "Fancy" by Reba McEntire so go watch the music video and you'll get a feel for the background of the story. Thanks to all of those who followed, favorited, and reviewed. You're all amazing!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Because I feel bad for leaving you guys hanging for so long, I decided to update again! I've been in the writing mood lately and I finally have a definite plan of where this story is heading. Any ideas though are still 100% welcome so PM me! Thank you to those who reviewed. You are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA**

**DPOV**

I was completely caught off guard when Rose asked me why I didn't come after her. I had so many reasons, but none of them were good enough. I regretted the decision to let her go, but I stuck with it because I thought it was the right thing to do. Plus, I was ashamed of myself for letting her go and thought she would never take me back. I knew she would be angry with my answer but it was the only one I could come up with. Sure enough, she was furious. Why am I so stupid?

Her response, however, shocked me more than the question. "Of course I wanted you to! I loved you! I wanted to leave here, this town, this school. Not you! I wanted you, always, and all I got was a 'have a nice life' when I told you I was actually leaving!" I was stunned. Her answer made me regret my decision even more.

Suddenly, I was angry. Rose and I are similar in so many ways, but the biggest similarity is our stubbornness and how much we fight to control our anger. My anger however, just snapped. It wasn't just that Rose had told me she wanted me to come after her all these years and never thought to tell me, it was that I was angry with myself. I should have known that was how she felt. I knew she loved me and that she didn't run to L.A. to get away from me, she ran to get away from this place.

"I thought that was what you wanted! You told me from day one that you wanted to move away for your music. I knew you would leave and I didn't want to hold you back! I loved you and I didn't want to hold you back from your dreams! I let you go because I knew if I didn't, you would resent me for trying to keep you here!" I said, on the verge of yelling. I was so filled with sadness, anger, and regret that I thought I would explode.

Suddenly, Rose wasn't in my arms anymore. I turned to find her half running towards the door. She always did this when she was angry. She needed space but she also needed comfort. I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I turned back around to find Lissa standing there with an angry expression on her face.

"What did you do!" she yelled. I just stood there stunned. Lissa hardly ever yelled but when she did, she was scary, which is staying something because I am three times her size. "Well, don't make the same mistake twice! Go after her you idiot!" The next thing I know she is pushing me in the direction of the door. I came back to my senses and ran out the door to find her.

There she stood, arms wrapped around herself, hair blowing in the late night breeze, with her face up to the sky, inhaling deep breaths. She is beautiful. So beautiful it hurts me. I walked up and stood right behind her. It took every ounce of self control to not wrap my arms around her from behind and bury my face in her hair like I used to do when this happened.

I let out a deep sigh, knowing that this was my chance to come clean and tell her how I felt. I have never been good with my feelings. I used to never express them to anyone. Rose changed that though. She made me feel vulnerable and safe. I could always show and tell her how I felt, just like right now. "I'm so sorry Roza. You have no idea how much I regret walking away. I just thought that was what you wanted. I wanted to fight for you, but I also didn't know how to make it work. I knew you didn't want to stay here and I didn't want to move to L.A. I also knew that if we somehow managed to work it out and stay together long distance that it would ruin our relationship and we would resent each other for not making enough time to be together or not visiting enough. I wanted you to succeed as much as you did and I didn't want to distract you. So many times over the years I wanted to come to L.A. to find you, but then I would turn on the T.V. or pick up a magazine, or go on the Internet and you were there. You did it Roza. You got the career you always wanted. You're living your dream. Seeing how much you have accomplished made me want to keep my distance and let you be happy. I didn't want to distract you or make you think you had to choose between your career and me. I let you go because I loved you. I still love you. Forever and always."

She stood their for a moment processing what I had said. I meant every word and I hoped she knew that. She turned around and looked me in the eyes. It was dark out but the moon shown down and illuminated her like an angel. She had tearstains on her cheeks and I knew that she understood. She then threaded one hand through my hair and placed the other on my cheek. She brought my face towards her and our lips met in an amazing kiss. I wrapped my arms around her waist and it felt so amazing, so much like home. I could feel her understanding, her love, in that kiss. I had missed her so much and I didn't care what I had to do, I was never losing her again.

She pulled away, not letting go of my face, and looked into my eyes. "I love you. I never stopped. Forever and always." Her words made me want to cry. I couldn't believe she loved me. With all the tabloids and news articles I have read about her over the years, I thought she had moved on. I should have known she still loved me as much as I loved her. We were meant for each other. I have never believed in soul mates but I think we come about as close as you can get to that description. I brought her lips back to mine in a more needy and passionate kiss. All to soon, I heard someone clear their throat. "Well, now this really does feel like old times. Me having to break up you two before you start going at it in a public place," a familiar voice says. The scent of clove cigarettes and expensive cologne fill the air. I look over to see Adrian Ivashkov, leaned against the side of the gym building smoking a cigarette.

I never liked Adrian. We were civil and got along, but he has always had a crush on Rose and it drove me nuts. I always knew Rose thought of him as a brother and that nothing had ever happened between the two, just incessant flirting, but it still drove me crazy.

"Holy shit! Adrian!" Rose yelled as she pulled away from me and ran over to him. He dropped his cigarette and pulled her into a bear hug, twirling around in a circle.

"Hello my little star! How have you been? Breaking hearts of every male sex symbol in Hollywood I'm sure," he said to her with a wink and that smug smirk that has always driven me crazy.

Rose just rolled her eyes and smiled. "Just fine, what about you? Still sleeping with every girl that throws you a smile and is wearing something hardly covering the essentials?"

He laughed and pulled out another cigarette. He lit it and took a puff. "Actually, I'm a married man. No more sleeping around for me," he said with a smile full of love and a far away look in his eye telling me that he was thinking of his wife.

Rose's eyes widened and her jaw went slack. I knew this small fact. He and his wife now live here in town and he is an art teacher in the elementary school. "You're married? To who!"

"Yes, it has been a year, though we have been together longer. As for who, you will just have to wait and see. She's here actually; you'll see when you get back inside. Speaking of the wife, I should probably go back in and find her." With that he turned around and started walking towards the gym. Right as he was opening the door, he turned back to us. "Just don't start having sex on the sidewalk. No one wants to see that." He winked at us, threw his finished cigarette in the grass, and walked inside. Some things will just never change.

RPOV

Adrian. Married. Wow. I don't even know what to think of that. I cannot wait to see who he married. Probably some bimbo gold digger. Well, maybe not. Adrian doesn't commit to girls like that, only sleeps with them, or slept with them. I can't believe he convinced someone to marry him. Well, good for him.

After he reentered the gym, I turned back to Dimitri. He had this knowing look on his face that told me he was not at all surprised by Adrian's news. "You knew?" I asked him.

He nodded his head. "They live in town. Adrian is the elementary school art teacher and his wife works at a historical museum in Missoula."

I was so stunned all I could say was, "Huh. Well good for him."

There was a moment of silence before Dimitri closed the gap between us and wrapped his arms around me. "Now where were we?" he murmured before bringing his lips back to mine. I smiled into the kiss and began to kiss him back. It did not last long and it was not as passion filled as the one Adrian broke up, but it was amazing none the less.

I pulled away first and looked into his eyes. "I missed you so much," he said. He brought his hand up to my face and started tracing my hairline, then my eyebrows, around my eyes, down my cheeks, across my lips, down my chin, and around my neck into my hair, all while maintaining eye contact. He continued to run his fingers through my hair and I smiled. He always loved my hair. More than once when we were together, he would sneak over to my house and spend the night and I would wake up the next morning to find him playing with my hair with a content smile on his lips. A smile that I could see he was wearing now.

We stood there for a couple minutes just basking in the glory of being in each other's arms when he spoke again. "We have a lot we need to talk about," he said while he furrowed his eyebrows.

He looked as if he was going to say more but I put a finger to his lips. "Let's not talk about it now. I'm here the whole week. We will have plenty of time to talk. Let's just enjoy being together okay?" I said, just wanting to enjoy this night before the inevitable compromising and fighting began.

He sighed in defeat and nodded. "Let's go back in. It's cold out here," he said, grabbing my hand and leading me back inside the gym. I sighed in contentment as he wrapped his arm around me while continuing to hold my hand, and drew me closer to his body. I had missed him and I really hoped that we could work it out. For now though, I was just going to enjoy tonight.

**I'm going to attempt to update once a week. However, I'm pretty busy so we will see :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I have been in a big writing mood lately but only in small increments at a time, hence the short chapters. I figured though I would just upload once I finished the next chapter instead of only once a week. So here is another chapter. I will probably have another up in a couple days. Thanks for your amazing reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA**

**RPOV**

As we walked back into the gym, I looked around trying to find Lissa. I caught sight of her and took a deep breath when I saw who she was with. Everyone. She was with all of my old high school friends. Dimitri noticed my nervousness and said something. "What's wrong Roza?"

"It's nothing," I replied, "Just that, I missed so much these last few years; two weddings, my best friend's parents dying, my best friend getting pregnant. What else did I miss? I feel terrible already. I'm such a bad friend." I hung my head in shame. What kind of friend am I? When I moved, I didn't just cut Lissa and Dimitri out. I cut all of my friends out.

"Roza," Dimitri said, tilting my chin up so that I was looking at him, "They know how important your dreams were to you. They aren't upset or angry that you missed the last five years. We all missed the last five years of your life as well. So much happened to you and the only difference is that we could see everything that happened in your life through tabloids and the Internet."

He did have a point I guess. I still felt incredibly guilty, but I knew they would understand, right? I took another breath and summoned up as much determination as I could. We walked up to them and everyone turned our way. There was a moment of stunned silence when they all saw me. "Uh, hey guys," I said, giving an awkward wave. Just like that, they were all in an uproar. In what I can only describe as what a warthog feels like when a pride of lions descend, they all ran at me, scooping me up in big bear hugs. I enjoyed it sure, but it was a bit overwhelming.

I was unbelievably happy to see them all though. They were all here. Mason, Eddie, Ivan, Mia, Jill, and Sydney, along with Adrian, Christian, and Lissa. I just couldn't believe they were all here. Apparently they all thought the same thing about me because that was the first comment out of everyone's mouths.

"How's the life of an international super star treating you?" asked Mason.

"It's been great. I have traveled all over the world and met a lot of my idols," I said. There was so much more to my career than that and honestly, most of the time it's so overwhelming and busy I don't have time to enjoy things like the places I'm staying or the people I meet. Of course, I wouldn't tell any of them that. It seems self-centered to complain about a life that most people would kill for.

"Have you met Ryan Reynolds? Or Brad Pitt? Oh my gosh, have you met George Clooney?!" Mia asked me excitedly. I had to laugh. These are the kinds of questions I get all the time from fans.

"No, they aren't really in my area of entertainment. They are actors and I'm a singer. Though, I am really good friends with Ambrose Bryant," I told her with a smile. Ambrose was another really famous singer and our paths have crossed on many occasions because we belong to the same record label. He is my closest friend in L.A. and there is more than one rumor going around that we are dating. Dimitri must be aware of this fact because I can feel him tense next to me.

"Wow, he's one of the hottest male singers around right now! Is it true you guys are dating? If not, is he single?" Mia asked with hopeful eyes.

I laughed and replied, "No we are not dating, he is just a good friend. I don't know if he is single or not though. Last I checked he was with someone but they hadn't made it public." I looked over at Dimitri and could see he visibly relaxed when I said we weren't dating.

"Oh, Hollywood gossip! Spill!" said Lissa. Her and Mia were looking at me with eyes full of wonder.

"Sorry guys, I can't reveal all my Hollywood secrets just yet," I replied, much to their chagrin. The truth was, Ambrose was secretly seeing Tatiana Ivashkov, the owner of the record label we belonged to. He started as her masseuse until they started a romantic relationship and she signed him to the label. At first, I thought that Ambrose was only with her so that she would sign him, because lord knows I don't know why he would actually want to be in a relationship with the bitch. He has told me numerous times though that he really did care about her and that even though it was mostly a physical relationship and was not monogamous by any means, he did care for her deeply.

"Speaking of Hollywood," Adrian began, "How is my dear great aunt?" It was like he could read my mind. Tatiana was actually Adrian's great nephew, and also her favorite one. They were really close and I wondered if he knew about her and Ambrose.

I gave him a pointed look and said, "She still doesn't really like me but whatever." Tatiana and I have never gotten along, but when Adrian set me up with an appointment with her, she couldn't deny I had talent and signed me, regardless of her personal feelings.

Adrian is actually the only person I kept in a little bit of contact with after I moved to L.A. We haven't talked in a couple years but for the first year, when I couldn't get a job or an appointment with any record labels, I called him and asked for his help. We stayed in contact for a few months but once my career took off, we stopped talking.

"So," I said, changing the subject from my career and Hollywood, "Where is this wife of yours Adrian? I'm really looking forward to meeting the crazy woman that you actually convinced to marry you." I thought my joke was funny, but not as funny as everyone else seemed to think it was. They were almost on the ground in laughter. "What? What am I missing?"

"Little Singer," Adrian said reaching behind him and pulling someone forward, "This is my wife." I was stunned. So unbelievably stunned that I don't even know how long I stood there with my jaw on the floor with wide eyes. He had pulled forward Sydney Sage. I guess some things do change.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hooray! Another chapter! Thanks so much for the reviews! So I know I previously said that Rose was a pop star but I'm actually going to have her be singing Lana Del Ray songs (which are more alternative) because they fit well for her character in this story. Okay, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA or "Dark Paradise" by Lana Del Ray**

**DPOV**

I could not help but laugh at the expression on Rose's face when she saw that Adrian had married Sydney. I was shocked as well when they got married. They couldn't stand each other in high school. They were always bickering and fighting. I guess now that I think of it, maybe that was their way of flirting.

"When…how…what? Whoa…" she studdered out.

Adrian laughed. "The great Rose Hathaway is speechless. Never thought I would live to see the day."

"Okay," Rose said recovering, "When did you guys get together and how? You hated each other in high school!"

This time it was Sydney's turn to reply. "About a year after graduation, I ran into Adrian at Lehigh. Apparently, he was in the area and decided to come to the campus for some college parties." She paused to roll her eyes and Adrian smirked. "Anyways, I was there studying history and architecture and we crossed paths while I was on my way back to my dorm from class. Turns out, he slept with my roommate."

Rose didn't seemed surprised by this fact unlike everyone else when they told us this story the first time. "Of course he did."

"Hey!" Adrian exclaimed, "We hadn't started dating yet! You can't hold that against me!"

"Moving on," Sydney continued, "I was about to open my dorm room when he opened the door first to walk out. We of course started bickering but eventually we cooled down and Adrian asked me to show him around campus because he was actually considering going there to study art. We eventually stopped and got coffee and Adrian confessed to having a crush on me in high school." Sydney blushed lightly and looked at Adrian with adoring eyes.

"Turns out, she didn't think I was too bad in high school either," Adrian said smirking and returning the same look of adoration Sydney showed him.

"Wow," Rose said. She stood there for a second processing the information before she enveloped them in a hug. "I'm so happy for you guys," she murmured. I could hear the sadness in her voice for not knowing this sooner or being able to come to the wedding.

We all sat down at a table and talked for another hour or so. I could tell that even though she felt bad for missing the last five years, she was happy to have her friends back and to catch up with them. Suddenly, the DJ stopped the music and started talking into the microphone.

"How's everyone doin' tonight?" He yelled and those who were dancing screamed in joy as a reply while the rest of us just grumbled. "Alright awesome! So I here that there is a very special guest in the audience tonight and I think everyone here would be happy to have her come up here and sing a song for us! What do you guys say?" Oh boy, this can't be good.

RPOV

"So I here that there is a very special guest in the audience tonight and I think everyone here would be happy to have her come up here and sing a song for us! What do you guys say?" the DJ exclaimed into the microphone. My stomach dropped. Shit, I have a feeling he was talking about me. Great. Impromptu concert for a bunch of people I haven't seen in years and can't stand. Just wonderful. "Rose Hathaway, what do you say to singing us one of your songs?" Everyone cheered, including my friends and turned to me expectantly. I looked over to Dimitri who had a look I can't really describe. It almost looked like dread. Why did he look so upset to hear me sing? He used to love to hear me sing. He gave me a small encouraging smile but it didn't reach his eyes.

I decided to just get it over with so I stood up and walked up to the stage. The DJ came to hand me a microphone and a microphone stand. After I thanked him he said, "I only have the instrumental version of Dark Paradise. I hope that's okay." I nodded at him and he went back to is set up. In actuality, it wasn't really okay. I wrote that song when I was really down after my breakup with Dimitri and, though I'm sure he has heard the song before, I have a feeling him hearing it live will make him feel guilty and make me want to cry.

I decided to suck it up and put on a brave face. The music started and I felt my mind go into a peaceful Zen-like state that I can only achieve when I sing. With that, the crowd gathered in front of the small stage with Dimitri, Lissa, and the rest of my friends front and center. Looking into Dimitri's eyes, I started singing the lyrics that came from a place of sadness and darkness after our break up.

_All my friends tell me I should move on_

_I'm lying in the ocean singing your song_

_Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhh_

_That's how you sang it_

_Loving you forever can't be wrong_

_Even though you're not here, won't move on_

_Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhh_

_That's how we played it_

_And there's no remedy for memory your face is_

_Like a melody, it won't leave my head_

_Your soul is haunting me and telling me that everything is fine_

_But I wish I was dead_

_Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise_

_No one compares to you_

_I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side_

_Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise_

_No one compares to you_

_I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side_

_All my friends ask me why I stay strong_

_Tell 'em when you find true love, it lives on_

_Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhh_

_That's why I stay here_

_And there's no remedy for memory, your face is like a melody_

_It won't leave my head_

_Your soul is holding me and telling me that everything is fine_

_But I wish I was dead_

_Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise_

_No one compares to you_

_I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side_

_Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise_

_No one compares to you_

_But there's no you, except in my dreams tonight_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-hah-hah-hah-hah._

_I don't want to wake up from this tonight_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-hah-hah-hah-hah._

_I don't want to wake up from this tonight_

_There's no relief, I see you in my sleep_

_And everybody's rushing me, but I can feel you touching me_

_There's no release, I feel you in my dreams_

_Telling me I'm fine_

_Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise _

_No one compares to you_

_I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side _

_Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise. _

_No one compares to you_

_But there's no you, except in my dreams tonight_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-hah-hah-hah-hah_

_I don't want to wake up from this tonight_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-hah-hah-hah-hah_

_I don't want to wake up from this tonight _

The whole time I sang, I never took my eyes off of Dimitri. My eyes were stinging with unshed tears at the end but I held them back. I'm always in such a happy trance when I sing, but afterwards, I always feel empty because I remember the lyrics I was singing. This feeling of emptiness was only doubled by having Dimitri actually here and singing it to him.

I could tell that the lyrics saddened him as well, but at the same time, he felt the same way. I then realized why he looked so disheartened when I was asked to sing. I have written many songs and the majority of them are about lost love. They are about him. He knew that and didn't want to face it head on by watching the live show. I understood where he was coming from. I mean, I am the one who wrote the lyrics in the first place.

As everyone clapped and cheered, Dimitri's face stayed serious. Then, he did something that shocked me. He walked onto the stage and pulled me to him, kissing me in front of everyone.

**So I am currently working on two other stories. I don't want to post them though until I have a few more chapters done of each and I get further along in this story. Update soon, promise!**


	9. Chapter 9

**This is probably the longest chapter I have written of this story so far. Big plot point in this chapter! Thanks for the reviews! :)**

**WARNING: MAJOR LEMON IN THIS CHAPTER! It will be marked so if you want to skip it you can. First lemon I have ever written so I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA or "Dark Paradise" by Lana Del Ray**

**DPOV**

I have to say, when they called Rose to the stage, I was a little scared and insecure. I had heard all of her songs and each one lit up my heart because it was her that was singing them. However, after I learned the lyrics, I was not so happy to hear them. Most of her songs are about lost love, about me. They make me feel so guilty and I couldn't stand it. They also reflected my own emotions perfectly.

Rose walks up onto the stage and the DJ brings her a mic and a stand and whispers something to her. She nods and he goes back to his set up. Everyone starts to migrate towards the stage and our friends and I make our way to the front of the pack somehow. I stand, front and center, right in front of Rose. She sees me and as the music starts to play, we make eye contact. She begins to sing and it makes me want to cry. I haven't heard her sing to me, really sing to me, in person, for so long. I love to watch her sing too. She gets into this euphoric state where nothing can touch her. She sways her hips, moves her arms, runs her hands through her hair, it's such a turn on. The turn off though is the lyrics she is singing.

_All my friends tell me I should move on_

_I'm lying in the ocean singing your song_

_Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhh_

_That's how you sang it_

_Loving you forever can't be wrong_

_Even though you're not here, won't move on_

_Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhh_

_That's how we played it_

_And there's no remedy for memory your face is_

_Like a melody, it won't leave my head_

_Your soul is haunting me and telling me that everything is fine_

_But I wish I was dead_

_Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise_

_No one compares to you_

_I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side_

_Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise_

_No one compares to you_

_I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side_

_All my friends ask me why I stay strong_

_Tell 'em when you find true love, it lives on_

_Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhh_

_That's why I stay here_

_And there's no remedy for memory, your face is like a melody_

_It won't leave my head_

_Your soul is holding me and telling me that everything is fine_

_But I wish I was dead_

_Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise_

_No one compares to you_

_I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side_

_Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise_

_No one compares to you_

_But there's no you, except in my dreams tonight_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-hah-hah-hah-hah._

_I don't want to wake up from this tonight_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-hah-hah-hah-hah._

_I don't want to wake up from this tonight_

_There's no relief, I see you in my sleep_

_And everybody's rushing me, but I can feel you touching me_

_There's no release, I feel you in my dreams_

_Telling me I'm fine_

_Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise _

_No one compares to you_

_I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side _

_Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise. _

_No one compares to you_

_But there's no you, except in my dreams tonight_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-hah-hah-hah-hah_

_I don't want to wake up from this tonight_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-hah-hah-hah-hah_

_I don't want to wake up from this tonight _

Her lyrics and the fact that she is staring directly at me while she sings it breaks my heart. The line that affects me the most though is _I wish I was dead_. Did she really or was it just for artistic effect? I know a couple times I wished I was dead during our break up, but I would never do that. Rose on the other hand…

When we first got together, she was suffering from depression. Suicide was a real problem that her parents, her friends, and I were all extremely worried about. It got better once we became serious and for that, we were all grateful. It didn't even cross my mind that her depression could have come back until the first time I heard this song about four years ago.

After she was finished, everyone cheered and applauded. I just stared at her. I could see she was trying not to cry and I have to admit, I was as well. Then, I did something that shocked even myself. I walked right up on stage and kissed her. I kissed her with everything I had, every emotion I was experiencing. I hoped she could feel them in the kiss, the longing, guilt, sadness, joy, and love. I think she understood because when we pulled apart, she had an understanding smile on her face. "I love you," she whispered and she held my face in her hands.

"I love you too my Roza," I whispered and gave her another peck on the lips. She smiled again, this time a happy, bright, full smile that made my heart melt. As if there our minds were connected, we both realized how much we wanted each other in that moment. We wanted to reconnect in every way. We walked off the stage and ignored the crowd of cheering people. We continued walking through the gym, all the way until we got to my car.

She hopped in the passengers seat, not even asking where we were going or what we were doing. We didn't even say goodbye to anyone, but neither of us cared. We eventually reached my apartment and I led her upstairs. I opened the door for her and let her walk in first. She stepped inside and took off her shoes immediately. "Those bitches hurt," she muttered to herself and I couldn't help but chuckle. She looked around my apartment and nodded in approval. "Wow, nice place, it's so homey. I love it."

I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist and leaned down to kiss her neck. She leaned her head to the side to give me more access and let out a small moan. "I love you," I whispered as I kissed behind her earlobe, a spot I knew was her weakness. She was panting and biting her lip, trying not to moan loudly. Her whole body was leaning back into me and it felt amazing.

Her arm reached around to keep my lips in place as she laced her fingers through my hair. My hands left her hips and I rubbed across her stomach, up her sides, and down her thighs. She was completely under my control and I loved it. When it came to the outside world, I was what many people called "whipped" and everyone thought Rose made all the decisions. That isn't necessarily true but I do love giving her what she wants. In the bedroom however…that's a different story. She loves when I'm in control and I love being in control. Sure, there are times when the roles reverse but the majority of the time, I was in charge.

One of my hands made its way down the outside of her thigh before traveling back up the inside towards her wet core. "Dimitri," she moaned, "Please." With that, I turned her around and kissed her sweetly on the lips. I grabbed her hands and took her to the bedroom.

**M Scene**

I opened my bedroom door and pulled her in behind me. I turned around and kissed her passionately. It was the kind of kiss that made your lips sore and your body hot. Our tongues entwined and battled for dominance. I won and she retreated her tongue back into her mouth and moaned. I left her lips and began kissing down her neck. "Please," she moaned again quietly. She didn't have to say any more or tell me twice. I moved my hands to her back and found the zipper to the dress. I unzipped it and let it fall to the ground. Her hands went to my chest and she ripped my shirt open, buttons flying everywhere. Now it was my turn to moan. I love when she gets aggressive like that.

I moved my lips back to hers and let my hands wander her body. She was so beautiful. Her hands moved down my chest and towards my pants. I then moved my hands to her breasts and started to squeeze and play with them. They were even bigger than they used to be! Her hands momentarily paused by my waistline as she threw her head back and moaned, pressing her chest into my hands more aggressively.

I removed my hands and moved them to her clasp. I easily discarded the black lacy material and removed my lips from hers. Her hands returned to my pants and she easily unbuckled my belt and removed my pants, leaving us both in only our underwear. My lips moved back down her neck and towards her breasts. I was too tall to stay like that for long so I grabbed her ass and hoisted her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist and started grinding our hips together. We both moaned in pleasure and I moved my mouth down to her hard peaks. She threw her head back again and laced her fingers though my hair and pushed my mouth harder against her breasts.

"Dimitri. Bed. Now," she gasped out. I walked towards the bed, lips never leaving her breasts and fell onto it, careful not to crush her. She removed her legs from my waist and my lips left her breasts and went back to her mouth. Her hand reached down and started stroking my hardened manhood. I groaned and bit her bottom lip, causing her to moan. She rubbed and rubbed and rubbed as I pinched and squeezed her breasts. "I need you," she whimpered.

I chucked. "Roza, I haven't had you for five years. I plan on touching and kissing every single part of your body. I'm going to take my time with you until you are begging for my cock," I murmured in her ear. I used to think dirty talk was weird but I knew how much she loved it. She moaned in reply and I got off of her. She made a sound of complaint and I smirked.

I kneeled on the end of the bed in front of her. I could see her eyes were almost completely black and filled with lust. I grabbed her right ankle and began to kiss the inside of it. I kissed all the way to the inside if her knee and then stopped and started again on the other leg. With the left, I kissed all the way into her inner thigh until I was only a couple inches away from her core. I could smell her arousal and it turned me on even more. I removed my head and started kissing her other thigh. When I got to her core, I looked into her eyes for permission. She was sitting up on her elbows with her hair everywhere, watching me. She looked amazing, delicious even. She gave me a slight nod and I smirked. I kissed her core through her panties and she fell flat on the bed, moaning. I ran my nose through her folds and sniffed. "You smell delectable," I moaned.

I then removed myself again. She groaned and I slid my hands down her legs until I reached her panties. I leaned forward and kissed down her stomach as I hooked my fingers around the fabric and ripped it. She gasped and moaned at the same time. I knew later she would be mad at me for ruining them but right now, neither of us cared. I threw the fabric somewhere across the room and placed her legs on my shoulders. With one more look to ask permission, she nodded and I licked her clit. She cried out in pleasure and her hands found there way into my hair, gently pulling. I moaned and the vibrations hit all of the right places and she moaned my name loudly. I licked and sucked until she was sweating and writhing beneath me. "I'm so close. Oh Dimitri, please."

I removed my mouth and replaced it with my fingers. This entire time, I hadn't even entered her yet and she was already about to come. "Please what," I told her.

"Please, oh god, please make me come. Please please please," she begged.

I went back in with my mouth and continued to lick, suck and lightly bite her clit. Then suddenly, I entered two fingers into her and gave a few hard, quick thrusts. She screamed my name so load I think all of the neighbors heard it. She came hard and I continued to rub her and lick up her juices while she came down from her high.

I kissed my way back up her body and she kept her hands in my hair. She pulled me up and pulled my face towards hers like she was going to kiss me. Right before our lips could meet, she rolled us over so that she was straddling me. She began kissing down my neck and then back up towards my ear. She nibbled on my earlobe. "I think you deserve a treat after that Comrade," she murmured. I thrust my hips up and she gasped. "I'll take that as a yes," she said with a smirk.

She began to kiss down my neck and chest, all the way to my waistband. She started to pull down my boxers but stopped to kiss my tip. I moaned and she smirked. She continued to pull them off and once they were discarded on the floor, she trailed a hand up each of my legs until her face was by my dick. She gave a long lick up the length of it and I moaned her name. She kissed my tip again before putting me all in her mouth, or at least most of me since I couldn't completely fit. She used her hand to pump what she couldn't fit in her mouth. "God Roza, I missed that little mouth of yours. You missed my big dick in your mouth didn't you?" She moaned in reply and it sent vibrations through my dick. She continued to pump me with her mouth and hand, switching paces and changing the pressure of her sucking. It was mind blowing and within a couple short minutes I was ready to cum. I put my hands in her hair to lead her on and let her know I was close. She just looked at me and smiled, at least smiled as much as she could with my cock in her mouth. She sucked really hard one last time and cupped my balls. I came long and hard in the back of her throat, yelling her name. She swallowed everything I gave her.

She came back up and straddled me again, kissing me long and hard, the taste of each other's cum in our mouths mixing and making me instantly hard again. I flipped us over and placed myself at her entrance. I kissed her slowly and sweetly and looked into her eyes. "I love you," she murmured.

"I love you too," I said breathless and then buried myself in her.

"OH GOD!" she moaned as I entered her. "Yes baby, oh god yes, I've missed your cock." I grunted in reply and set a steady pace. "Yes Dimitri, harder!" I quickened my pace and thrusted my hips harder. She met me thrust for thrust. After a few minutes, her moaning became more frequent. "Oh God, I'm close. Ahh Dimitri, I love you!" she moaned loudly.

"Uhh Roza," I moaned, "I love you too." I was really close but I didn't want to come before her. I reached with one hand to pinch her nipple and with the other I began to rub her clit. She was close and I could feel it. "Я люблю тебя. Приходи за мной Милая, Я хочу чтобы вы пришли **(I love you. Come for me Beautiful, I want you to come)**" I said to her in Russian. She loves it when I talk dirty but she loves it even more if I say it in Russian. That was her undoing and she came hard, me following right behind her. We continued to rock against each other until we came down from our orgasms.

**End M Scene**

After we stopped, I rolled off of her and pulled her sweaty body into my arms. She laid her head on my chest and sighed in contentment as I began stroking her hair. She chuckled. "What?" I asked amused. She lifted her head off of my chest and looked into my eyes. "You," she laughed, "You and your obsession with my hair." I chuckled at her comment because it was true. It was one of my favorite physical characteristics about her. "I missed it. I missed you too but I love your hair." She smiled and rested her head back on my chest. As she snuggled against me, I could feel myself get turned on again. She looked at me and grinned. "Again?" she asked as she straddled me. I nodded and we made love again, this time slower and sweeter. That was how the night continued until we fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

**Okay so I know I mentioned a new story I'm working on in a previous chapter. I have a couple chapters of it so I think I may upload it soon. I also have another story I'm working on called "Going for the Gold." Have any guesses what it's about? Let me know and if you get it right I might just give you a sneak preview! ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA**

**RPOV**

I woke up to the sun shining through the windows. It took me a minute to get my bearings and figure out where I was. I stretched out, feeling sore from last night's activities, but couldn't stretch much with the big arm wrapped around my waist. That was when everything back to me clearly. I went to the reunion, fought with Dimitri, sang, he took me back to his apartment and…just thinking about the last of my activities last night made me blush. I turned my body around to face the man of my dreams and was met with amazing chocolate brown eyes that I wanted to sink into and forget everything else in the world.

"Good morning milaya," my Russian god said, accent thicker than usual due to his sleepiness. I hummed in response and snuggled into him. He kissed my forehead and we just laid that in a comfortable silence. I don't know how long we laid like that but all too soon, I heard my phone beeping. I groaned and rolled over. "Where do you think your going?" Dimitri said huskily, grabbing my waist and dragging me back to him.

I giggled as he nuzzled my neck and wrapped me into his embrace. "Dimitri, it could be important. Just because I'm not in L.A. doesn't mean the people there don't need me." He sighed and let me go. I got out of the bed and searched around for my phone. I found it and looked at the screen. Yikes.

_Lissa – 10 texts, 3 missed calls, 1 voicemail_

_Ambrose – 3 texts, 1 missed call, 1 voicemail_

_Tatianna – 5 missed calls, 2 voicemails_

_Alberta – 15 texts, 5 missed calls, 3 voicemails_

_Great_, I thought. Lissa's texts were nothing too worried. Just wondering where the hell I went and if I was with Dimitri. The voicemail that came about an hour after the texts was a little frantic though, Lissa being the worrier that she is. "Rose!" she scolded, "Where in the world are you? You just disappeared! Please say you didn't have to go back to L.A.! I swear if you left without saying goodbye Rosemarie Hathaway, you are going to be in so much trouble!" I laughed as I listened to the voicemail. She could go from worried to angry in an impressively short amount of time.

I next opened Ambrose's texts. They were just him asking how the party went and if I ran into my ex. He knew of Dimitri, but I never gave him details. I hadn't even really told him anything but with some of my songs, he just assumed I had an ex I was in love with and I gave only enough information to cover the basics. We met in high school, we were in love, we dated for two years, I moved, he stayed, I never got over him. His voicemail was just a normal voicemail, just asking me to call when I got a chance to talk.

The next messages I listened to were from Queen Bitch, Tatianna. "Rosemarie, I know you are on vacation but we need to go over some contracts with your agent for some upcoming performances." That was the first message and it was pretty standard. The next voicemail however, was not. "Rosemarie Hathaway! Why am I seeing videos on the internet of you singing and then kissing some fan on stage? Is this some publicity stunt? What the hell were you thinking? Call me immediately!" Crap, that didn't sound good. Someone put Dimitri and I's little reunion on the internet. Great, just fucking great.

The last messages I looked at were from Alberta, my publicist/agent. I loved Alberta, she was like a second mother to me. Her first couple of texts were just asking how my time off so far was. After the first three however, she was in full publicist mode asking who the guy I kissed was, how I wanted to proceed with the public, suggestions for how to keep this as quiet as possible since it was still early. Her voicemails were much to the same degree, though in the last one, she suggested that I extend my visit while she takes care of this "fiasco," as she put it. That was fine with me, seeing as I was going to see if I could stay longer anyways.

I finished with the messages and got to work on replying to Lissa first. I texted her saying I went back to Dimitri's place to which I ended with a winky face. I then texted Ambrose saying that I was currently with said ex and that I was happy I came to the reunion. Next, I called Tatianna. I clicked call and sat down at the end of the bed with a long sigh. Dimitri sat up in bed and scooted behind me with his legs on either side of my body. He started rubbing my shoulders and I relaxed a bit, that is until Tatianna picked up the phone.

"Where the hell have you been Rosemarie?" she screeched in my phone. My blood boiled every time she called me by my full name but I let it slide. "Who is this man you are kissing in the video? This is a publicity nightmare! I have been getting calls all night asking who this man is and where you are giving free concerts! The tabloids are going crazy with rumors of secret affairs and you cheating on Ambrose! It has not even been 24 hours and this story is spreading like wildfire..." she kept ranting but I didn't may much attention. I was too busy focusing on Dimitri massaging my shoulders while he kissed my neck. After letting Tatianna yell for a couple minutes, I decided it was time to end the call.

"Tatianna, I get where you are coming from. I will talk to Alberta and she will fix it. I'm staying in Montana for at least the rest of the week or until this blows over. I will stay out of the spotlight, I promise." With that, I hung up. Dimitri chuckled as he kissed my shoulder, his hands moving to massage my lower back. My head fell forward and I groaned in delight as his hands found a sweet spot. "What's so funny?" I asked.

"That woman wouldn't shut up. Now I can see the family resemblance between her and Adrian." I laughed at that. It was true, Tatianna could be stoic and silent but when she was mad, she would rant and talk for hours straight. Dimitri suddenly stopped his hand and removed his mouth from my skin. I immediately missed the contract of his mouth on me. I turned to look at him and saw his face frown in concentration and frustration. I reached my hand out and traced his worry line on his forehead.

"What's wrong?" I asked concerned.

He furrowed his brow and looked away from my eyes. "Did I really cause such a big publicity scandal with that kiss? And I thought you said you weren't dating Ambrose, why do the tabloids think you're cheating on him."

I chuckled and made him look into my eyes. "Dimitri, everything I do is a public scandal to someone. You didn't know what would happen and I didn't even think that someone might be taping my performance. It is something that my publicist will fix and you don't need to worry. As for Ambrose, the tabloids want to play on our friendship and make it look like we are dating. They are just looking for a story. Ambrose and I are just friends, trust me. Nothing has ever happened romantically between us, nor will it."

He nodded but still seemed a little guilty for causing me trouble with the public. "I have to call my publicist. How about you go make breakfast, I'm starving." That brought a genuine smile to his face, one that make me melt into a puddle on the floor. He knew how much I loved food and how I couldn't even boil water without lighting the kitchen on fire. He gave me a kiss on the lips, one that lasted a bit longer than necessary, pulled on some boxers and left the room.

I called Alberta and we talked for a while. She told me to stay put in Montana for at least the rest of the week and that she would handle the public. I didn't ask what she would do to handle it, I trusted her and figured it would be easier to just stay ignorant of the situation and keep myself under wraps here in Montana.

After I was done with all of my business, I looked down to realize I was still completely naked. It actually kind of made me laugh. If only Alberta and Tatianna knew that my "publicity stunt" had ended with me having amazing sex all night with the same guy that caused the stunt, and that I was calling them while I was still naked from said night. I looked around and opened the top drawer of Dimitri's dresser looking for a shirt. Sure enough, just like they had been when we were in high school, his shirts were neatly folded in the top drawer. I grabbed one and put it on. He was such a big guy that the shirt was more like a dress on me and went a little lower than mid-thigh, which was good since Dimitri had torn my underwear to shreds last night and I had to go commando this morning.

I walked into the kitchen to see Dimitri in front of the stove in only his black boxers with his muscular back to me. He looked so amazing that I was about to fuck him right there on the kitchen counter. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I kissed the middle of his back and sighed. "It smells delicious in here. What are you making?"

"Bacon, eggs, and homemade donuts," he said and I could hear the smirk in his voice. He knew how much I loved donuts. I hummed in satisfaction and left him to do his work. I sat at the kitchen counter and watched as he took the roll of biscuit dough and cut out the centers, making them look like donuts, and then put them in a pan of oil and fried them. While he did that, he cracked eggs and flipped the bacon. I loved that he could cook, it was one of the reasons I loved that he was such a momma's boy. His mother, Olena, was an amazing cook and taught her only son well.

Dimitri finished frying the donuts and cooking the bacon and eggs. He dished us both up plate and put mine in front of me. "Oh, I almost forgot," Dimitri said as he turned and searched the fridge. He pulled out what looked to be a jar of chocolate glaze. He put it in the microwave to heat it and then he drizzled it on the donuts. My mouth was just watering, it looked soooooooo good. I ate everything on my plate and had seconds. I also ate all but one of the donuts, the one that I so graciously let Dimitri have.

I finished the last donut and looked up to see Dimitri watching me. "What? Do I have chocolate on my face?" He chuckled and shook his head. "Well then why are you staring at me Comrade? We both no I have awful sex hair and my makeup is smeared so you can't be admiring my amazing looks."

He smiled and walked around the counter to me. He stood between my legs and cupped my face in his hands. "I just love you and I have missed you so much," was all he said. He kissed me and it soon turned from sweet to passionate. Just as I was about to have amazing, earth-shattering sex with Dimitri on the counter, there was a knock at the door. Dimitri growled and it made me giggle. Dimitri gave me a lingering peck on the lips and went to answer it. Who was at the door was not who I was expecting to see during this trip, let alone at Dimitri's apartment.

**Update Soon! Offer is still on the table if you want to try to guess the plot of my next story "Going for the Gold" and get a sneak peek of it! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA**

**RPOV**

Have you ever experienced those moments of such complete shock that your mouth is hanging open and you are stuck in one spot and you cannot think of a coherent thought? Yeah, that is the kind of moment I'm having right now. And damn it, I was having a good morning too. Standing in the doorway is none other than Abe Mazur, my father.

It seriously feels like the wind was knocked out of me or something. What the hell was my dad doing here? He always liked Dimitri, I guess, but it was in his own way. His way of course being nodding his head in approval and letting Dimitri keep his kneecaps. My dad and I have never had an amazing relationship. In fact, he didn't even come into my life until I was 15 years old, which is why I have my mother's maiden name, Hathaway. I love him and I know he loves me, but the guy is pretty sketchy. He's made of money and dresses like it too, but even though he has never said so, I'm pretty sure most of that money is from illegal activities.

He came to Montana seeking out my mother who he had been trying to track down for years, only to discover that he had a daughter. My dad has sources and eyes everywhere, but somehow, it took him years to find my mom and he didn't even know I existed. It was pretty remarkable. My mom used to love to tease him about the fact that she "evaded the illusive Zmey" for 15 years.

When he did find us, he and my mom got back together and he tried to become a good father. He did a good job and we had a pretty good relationship, though a lot of it was materialistic. He would buy me whatever I wanted and spoil me rotten. The problem between us was always that we were both too stubborn. He was paranoid and protective and I was independent, which made us fight, a lot. I had been so cooped up in this town and my house for so long that I held some resentment for them holding me back for so long, so we haven't spoken in a long time. Even though I don't hold that resentment anymore, I do hold some different resentment because they never tried to contact me either. After a while, we kind of lost touch, which is why I was not planning on seeing them this trip.

So, back to the present, Abe. What can I say about my old man? After five years, the guy still looks the exact same, hair and eyes my color, a goatee, gold hoop earrings that make him look like a pirate, and a suit with an incredible vibrant, expensive scarf. The guy just screamed don't-fuck-with-me-or-I-will-break-your-kneecaps. It also seems as though my father is as shocked to see me here as I was to see him.

After what felt like an hour of shocked stares, Dimitri cleared his throat. Both Abe and I snapped out of our stunned states and looked at Dimitri. "Abe, nice to see you. How can I help you?" Dimitri said, the picture of polite and calm.

"Well, don't you think it would be better to invite me in first?" Abe said in his thick Turkish accent.

"Of course," Dimitri said hesitantly and let Abe through.

"Hello Little Girl, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Los Angeles," Abe said with his usual smirk on.

"Well I thought you of all people would know I wasn't Old Man, seeing as you know everything." This brought a genuine smile to his face and he opened his arms up to give me a hug. As much as I was upset that he and mom did not try to contact me, I had still missed my father. I ran into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"I've missed you Kiz," he mumbled into my hair.

"I missed you too Baba," I said. He pulled back and looked me in the eye. He then proceeded to look down at what I was wearing. He looked at me with an eyebrow raised in question. "Old habits die hard," I said. This made him shake his head and chuckle.

"Well Dimitri, if I knew my daughter was here I would have come sooner, though I'm sure you would not have appreciated that," Abe chuckled. To Dimitri's credit, his face stayed blank and didn't give much away, but the light blush that rose on his cheeks did.

"Baba leave him alone, we were just getting…reacquainted," I said as I walked over to Dimitri and wrapped my arms around his waist. He smirked down at me and it was my turn to blush. Then, a question struck me. "What the hell are you doing here Old Man if you didn't know I was here?" I felt Dimitri stiffen and looked up at him curiously.

"Oh nothing important," Abe said, waving it off like nothing. "Dimitri has just become like a son to me these last few years and I wanted to stop buy for a visit." _Bull shit_, was all I could think. I knew however, that it was Abe's story and he was sticking to it. I let it go, for now, and figured I would ask Dimitri about it later.

"Well as you can see, he is a bit busy for a father-son chat sooo…" I said, hoping he would get the message and leave so Dimitri and I could continue our morning activities.

"Well Kiz, you don't have to be so sad to see me go," Abe said rolling his eyes, a trait he picked up from me in my teenage years. "How about this, I will go if you promise to come to the house for dinner tonight." Ah, my father and his deals. How very "Abe" of him.

"I can't," I said, "Dimitri and I are going to dinner at Lissa's with our old high school friends." It actually wasn't a lie or anything. Lissa had offered her house to have a group dinner at that we discussed last night when we all were visiting. The look on my father's face was one I did not think I would see from my rejection, disappointment. I figured he would shrug it off and say "no big deal see you never" but he actually looked really disappointed that I couldn't have dinner. It made me feel bad so I figured I could make time one night to see my parents. "I am here for the rest of the week though," I added on, "Maybe I could come over tomorrow night?"

My father's face lit up and his usual smirk came back on. "Well, if you can fit it in your busy schedule, then of course. Tomorrow night, 7:00," he said as he turned around and headed towards the door again. Before leaving, he turned back around. "I really have missed you Kiz, and so has your mother. She will be excited to see you." With that he shut the front door and left.

Well, that was an interesting turn of events this morning.

**Soooooo, who guessed it was Abe? If not him, who did you think it was going to be? What do you think Abe came to see Dimitri about? Let me know, I love reviews so please REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA**

**DPOV**

Abe showing up was not how I was planning on spending the morning with Roza. I was pleased to see that she seemed genuinely happy to see him and that she agreed to have dinner with her parents, but I knew that having Abe come to my apartment would make her start asking questions that I didn't know how to answer. I knew that the second Abe walked out the door, Rose would begin what I can only describe as an interrogation.

"So," Rose started after Abe left and the door was closed. I turned around to face her and put up my mask, hoping she wouldn't see through my façade. "What in the hell brought my father here?" she questioned.

"Like he said, he popped in for a visit. We've grown close since you left."

"Dimitri, cut the crap. I know you and I know my old man. You may get along but no way in hell are you all of a sudden 'buddy-buddy' with each other. What was he really doing here?" she said with her hands on her hips. I was about to answer with another excuse when she cut me off. "Do not lie to me Dimitri Belikov, even with that stupid emotionless mask on I can tell when you aren't telling me the truth."

"Roza, I know it seems suspicious and I will not lie, he was not here to spend time with me." I thought of my next words and tried to choose them carefully. After a moments pause, I realized there was no good way to put it where she wouldn't freak out so I decided to just get to the point. "I asked him for a favor."

**RPOV**

"You WHAT?!" I exclaimed. I knew something was fishy with this situation, but Dimitri asking my father for a favor was not what I expected. I figured maybe Dimitri had told him I was in town and his initial shock in seeing me was just because he didn't think it was actually true. I just figured they covered it up because they thought I would be upset that Dimitri called my parents. I did not in a million years expect this. "What did he want in return?" I asked angrily.

"What do you mean," Dimitri said, feigning innocence.

"Oh please Dimitri, you know Zmey. He doesn't just do favors for people, he makes deals. Even if he likes you, he would never do something for you without getting something in return. So what did he want?" I asked impatiently. I know Dimitri was just stalling and it made me anxious. If he isn't being straightforward, it means he knows I'm not going to like what he has to say.

"He said that it would be a favor for him in the future and was to be determined," he replied looking at the floor in defeat.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Dimitri, what were you thinking?" I said calmly. "That favor could be anything, and when I say anything I mean it could be something illegal. What on earth was this favor that was so urgent that you had to ask Abe for help?"

He seemed as though he was debating telling me the truth, but eventually he looked into my eyes and answered honestly. "My father is back."

My heart dropped. Oh no. This could not be happening. Dimitri's father? I had never met the man but I was 100% sure that I never wanted to. No wonder he asked my father for help. After what happened with Dimitri and his father, I could see why he would go to Abe to get rid of the scum instead of the police. I still remember the day Dimitri told me about what happened with his father.

_Flashback_

_After Dimitri's first day of school, he asked if I wanted to hang out and go to a movie or something. His excuse was that he just moved here and had no friends, but I'm pretty sure he had a crush on me, not that I minded since I had taken a liking to him as well. That weekend, he took me to dinner and a movie. The whole night was fun and we ended up meeting up the next day and hanging out as well. Eventually, we began hanging out during all of our spare time and started officially dating._

_After about a month of dating, Dimitri and I were walking down the hallway holding hands, on the way to first period. When we passed the spot we first bumped into each other, I sighed happily. "Remember the first time we met?" I asked dreamily._

_He chuckled. "Of course I do Roza, it was only a little over a month ago." I laughed and started to think about out first conversation. That was when a question resurfaced in my mind that I had been wondering about since that encounter. _

_"__Hey Comrade, I was just thinking, that first day we met, why did you get so stiff about the joke I made about you being a criminal runaway?" I asked curiously. At the time I thought it was weird that he got so uptight about it but I shrugged it off._

_Again he stiffened. What the hell was that all about? "I uh," he started. He cleared his throat and tried to change the subject. "Come on Roza, we are going to be late."_

_We had just arrived to Stan's class and I pulled him aside before we could walk in. "Dimitri what's wrong? Why won't you tell me?"_

_He sighed in defeat. We hadn't known each other long but he already figured out that I was subborn and wouldn't quit until I got my answers. "I will tell you about it later but not now. It's a long story and I don't want other people over hearing." I nodded and we walked into class._

_After school that day, Dimitri came over. My parents were both at work, as always, so we had the house to ourselves. We snuggled up on the couch and I looked at him expectantly. He closed his eyes briefly and inhaled a deep breath as if giving himself a pep talk._

_"__When my mother was about 19, she met a man named Randall. She fell in love with him, despite my grandmother Yeva's warnings. My mother got pregnant with my sister Karolina and he left her. A couple years later, he came back claiming that he loved her and he wanted to be a good father and my mother got pregnant again with my sister Sonya. He left again and this continued for years until eventually, my mother had me and my three sisters. Every time he came back though he would get drunker and angrier and he would hit my mother. When I was 13 I put a stop to it by doing to him what he did to my mother." My eyes widened at his story._

_"__You beat up your own father?" I questioned._ _Dimitri looked down shyly gave a curt nod of his head._ _"__Well good. Sounds like that asshole deserved it," I stated._

_That brought a genuine smile to his face and he looked up at me. His face turned serious again as he continued his story. "After that, he left us alone, that is until a few months ago." He paused and took a deep breath. "My father is a very powerful man in Russia. He was initially frightened after what I did to him but I knew he would eventually come back and hurt my family even worse that he usually did. He came back and started having the police harass my family, claiming that they thought we were part of some rebel group because they got an 'anonymous tip from a reliable source'."_

_"__So what did you do?" I questioned, completely enraptured in his story._

_"__My grandmother is somewhat…um…clairvoyant. She always pictured us away from Russia in a new place. It led my mother to ask the United States authorities to offer us refugee status and allow us to move the the U.S. so we can get away from my father." _

_"__So," I started slowly, "The rumors were true? You are a runaway?"_

_Dimitri chuckled at this. "Not a runaway, a refugee. There is a bit of a difference, but yes, the rumors are_ somewhat_ true."_

_"__So when I made a joke, you freaked out because…"_

_"__When we first came here, we didn't want people to know we were refugees, we still don't. I'm telling you this because I trust you." This made me smile and lean forward and kiss him._

_"__Your secrets safe with me Comrade," I whispered in his ear and we continued making out for a while before he had to go home._

_End Flashback_

I sighed as I came back to the present. "Okay, I understand why you went to Abe, but I still don't like it."

Dimitri walked up to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I know Roza. I don't like it either but it had to be done."

"So how did your father find you? What happened?" I asked cautiously.

Dimitri released a heavy breath and took my hand, leading me to the couch. "He came about a month ago and sent my mother a note saying that he was coming for her and she couldn't hide from him and that he has eyes everywhere. It freaked my mother out so I told her I would take care of it. That's when I went to Abe. You know he actually laughed when I showed him the note? He muttered something about 'not as many eyes as I have' after he read it. A week later, Abe told me that he was gone and we needn't worry."

"Well, lets just hope that Abe never needs anything from you," I stated.

"Roza," Dimitri chuckled, "You know that Abe always collects his debts."

"Sadly, I do know," I groaned, then something occurred to me. "Wait, so if Abe said everything with your father was taken care of then why was he here?"

Dimitri's brow furrowed. "I have no idea."

"Well, I guess we will find out tomorrow night."

"We?" he questioned.

"Of course! You didn't think I would really go into the lion's den without you did you Comrade?" I said.

He chuckled. "No, I guess not. Though, maybe it won't be so bad. Your parent's love you and I know they have missed you."

"Yeah and I missed them too but I have a feeling that I'm going to ask myself why exactly I missed them after spending the night with my mother making disapproving comments." I muttered darkly.

"She was a mess when you left you know," Dimitri said.

"Really?" I asked shocked. I may not have the best relationship with my father but our relationship was pretty perfect compared to my relationship with my mother.

"Of course Roza. They might have always seemed overbearing and disapproving but they did it because they love you and I know they are proud of what you've accomplished," he said as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him.

"Fine, I will give them the benefit of the doubt, but if I seem like I'm about to blow a gasket you get me the hell out of there and I mean it," I scolded, pointing my finger at him.

"I promise Roza," he chuckled giving me a peck on the lips. The peck soon became a full blown makeout session with me straddling his lap just like back in high school after the first time he told me about his father. Some things never change.

**Anyone guess why Abe was there? REVIEW!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey all! So sorry I took so long to update! I had fair and then work and I was super busy.**

**IMPORTANT: I don't know when my next update will be. I move into college this weekend so I won't be updating often or regularly so please be patient. I am NOT giving up on this story! I PROMISE!**

**This story has an M scene, be warned**

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA**

**DPOV**

I didn't want to tell Roza about my father coming back. I don't like to talk about it and even though I knew she would understand, I knew she would initially be upset and I didn't want that. However, now that I told her, I'm glad that I did.

We spent the rest of the day on the couch kissing and talking. We talked about my job and college. I could tell she was sad she missed those times in my life but she was happy that I got to experience college and got the job I have always wanted. She told me about her career and all of the amazing places that she had seen and been to. She talked about her fans and how amazing and supportive they were. I could tell that she was not as happy about her new life as she led on though, but I decided to not mention in…for now.

I wanted to ask about her depression so badly but I didn't want to upset her. I knew that if I brought it up she would become defensive and change the subject. I knew she would tell me eventually if something happened, just like I knew she would eventually tell me the truth about how she feels about her new life. I just had to be patient.

We had promised to be at Lissa's house for dinner at 6:30, so when 5:00 rolled around, Roza said she was going to head back to her hotel to change and get ready. I gave her a lift there and told her I would pick her up at quarter after 6. She kissed me goodbye and went into the hotel.

When I got back home, I decided to give Abe a call and see what he wanted to talk about. I pulled out my cell phone and called him. "Mazur," he answered shortly.

"Abe, what was it you stopped by for this morning?" I asked getting straight to the point.

"Well it's not something I would like to discuss over the phone. Since I'm sure you will be accompanying my daughter to dinner tomorrow night, we can discuss it then. Did you tell her what happened?"

"I did. If I were you I would be a little frightened. She is a bit angry that you kept our deal so open ended," I warned. If I knew Roza, she was most likely going to throw a punch at Abe tomorrow night whether it be about this matter or something else.

Abe chuckled. "Don't worry Belikov, I can handle my own daughter. Besides, what's a family dinner without Rose getting angry about something?"

I had to smile at that comment. My Roza did not have the best temper. "Alright well I must be going. I will see you tomorrow night."

"See you tomorrow Belikov." With that he hung up the phone. I had about forty minutes to get ready before I left to pick up Roza. I jumped into the shower and after I was done, dressed in a white button down, gray dress pants, and a gray tie. I pulled my hair back at the nape of my neck and walked out into the living room. I saw that I had about fifteen more minutes before I had to leave but decided to leave anyways and get there early.

When I got to Roza's hotel I called her telling her I was there, knowing she would be mad that I was early because she was still getting ready. Sure enough, she yelled about me being too on time for my own good and that I need to get a life so that I wasn't always ready so damn early. I just chuckled and told her to tell me her room number.

I got to her door and knocked. She answered the door immediately. She had her hair done in soft curls down her back with the sides slightly pinned back to keep it out of her face. She was dressed in my shirt she was wearing this morning which I just realized she took with her after dressing back into her dress from the night before to come back to the hotel. She was in the process of finishing her makeup and had a tube of mascara in her hand. She was so beautiful.

As I was checking her out, I noticed she was doing that same to me. Our eyes met again and as if we had mentally communicated our thoughts to each other, we lunged at the other in a passionate kiss. She dropped the mascara from her hand and wrapped her arms around my neck. I pushed her fully into the room and slammed the door closed with my foot.

**M Scene**

I pushed her until we both fell back onto the bed. We kept our mouths and tongues moving at a fast and passionate pace. Roza pulled back first and looked at me, breathing heavily.

"Dimitri," she panted, "We have to leave in a few minutes and I'm not done getting ready yet."

"I. Don't. Care." I said, pronouncing every word slowly and with force so she knew that I would have her here and now, not caring how late we were.

I captured her lips with mine again and this kiss was full of need. I couldn't wait any longer so without thinking twice, I pulled off my shirt that Roza was wearing and unclasped her bra, throwing it on the ground and taking a nipple in my mouth. Roza moaned loudly and laced her fingers through my hair, pulling my face back to hers to kiss me. She pulled off my tie and unbuttoned my shirt, careful not to break any buttons or wrinkle anything since we didn't have time for me to go home and change. However, her carefulness was taking too long and I began to grow impatient.

Once my shirt was thrown on the ground I pulled myself off of her and stood at the foot of the bed. She groaned in protest at the loss of my body and I smirked. Quickly I undid my belt and pulled my pants and boxers down in one quick swoop. I then grabbed Roza's ankles and dragged her to the edge of the bed, causing her to giggle. That giggle made me even harder and I let out a small growl. I grabbed her panties and pulled them down and threw them across the room as fast as I could. I immediately thrusted two fingers into her to test her wetness and was rewarded with a long moan of pleasure and her murmuring my name. "You are soaking for me Roza," I said huskily, to which she only replied with a whimper and a moan. After a few fast thrusts with my fingers, I pulled them out and licked them clean. "This is going to be fast and hard," I told her, no room for argument.

"Yes, yes, God yes Dimitri. Fuck me fast and hard," she said panting. With that I flipped her so she was laying on her stomach with her feet dangling over the edge of the bed. I pushed her legs up so that she was on all fours and I grabbed her hips to pull her closer to the edge of the bed. I stood behind her with her on all fours and couldn't help but smirk. I slapped her beautiful ass and she gasped in surprise. I smacked her other ass cheek and this time was rewarded with a moan.

I grabbed her hair and pulled her head up so I could whisper in her ear. "Do you like when I'm rough with you Roza?" I murmured as I bit down on her earlobe.

She gave me a long moan and pushed her ass back to grind on my hardened dick. "You know I love it rough Comrade," she said. I smirked and released her hair, standing up straight again. Without any warning I slammed into her in one hard thrust, causing me to moan and her to scream my name so loudly, I was surprised we hadn't gotten a noise complaint from the front desk yet.

I began a fast rough pace, slapping her ass ever few thrusts, earning me lots of moans and groans from her. "You love when I spank you while I fuck you from behind don't you baby," I said gritting my teeth, trying to hold off my release a little while longer.

"Yes! Oh fuck Comrade! God, HARDER!" she screamed as she pushed backwards, meeting me thrust for thrust. Her wish was my command as I slammed into her as hard as I could, reaching around to rub her clit. She was so close, as was I. With one arm around her and rubbing her clit, I pumped in and out as hard as I could while I smacked her ass HARD one last time causing her to come. I was right behind her, yelling her name as I came inside of her.

**End M Scene**

After we finished, we collapsed on the bed next to each other. We took a moment to catch our breaths before we looked into each other's eyes. Roza started laughing and I couldn't help but join her as I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer to me. "Well, that was a bit out of nowhere," she giggled. "It was amazing though."

I smiled into her hair and nodded in agreement. "Aren't you glad I showed up early?" I teased causing her to laugh.

After a minute of comfortable silence in one another's embrace, Roza sighed and pulled away. I groaned and reached for her but she smiled and slapped my hands away. "No no big boy, you had your fun, now I have to finish getting ready," she said as she walked to the door to pick up her mascara. I got up and grabbed her hips as she was bent over, grinding myself into her bare bottom. She moaned and stood up. "Dimitri," she said in a stern voice as I wrapped my arms around her waist and started to kiss her shoulder, "Stop it, we need to get to Lissa's. I promised to be on time and we are already late. Since when am I the responsible one wanting to be on time?" she asked.

"Roza, I haven't been with you for five years. You can't blame me for picking you naked in a hotel room over a dinner party with people I get to see every day," I murmured in her ear.

She turned around in my arms and looked my straight in the eye. "You may get to see them everyday, but I don't. I have missed enough these last few years. I don't want to miss anymore," she said her voice serious and full of regret for missing so much.

I nodded and kissed her forehead. "I understand, you finish getting ready. No more distractions, I promise." She smiled and pulled out of my arms. She grabbed her bra, underwear and dress and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

After I finished getting dressed and making sure I didn't have sex hair, I sat on the bed waiting for Roza. Five minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom. My breath caught when I saw her. She looked so beautiful I wanted to worship her and rip off her dress all at the same time. She wore a black dress that went almost to her knees. It had lace that connected just below her neck and left a cut out just above her chest and showed the perfect amount of cleavage. The lace had cap sleeves and connected on the back just like the front, leaving a large cut out in her back. The rest of the dress was covered in chiffon and was form fitting at the top but flared out under her bust. She looked beautiful. Her hair was in curls down her back and pulled back in the front like earlier and her makeup looked simple and elegant. Her black pumps made her a few inches taller but still much shorter than me.

"See something you like?" she asked with her hands on her hips giving me her man eater smile.

"You look beautiful Roza," I said as I walked up and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Nuh-uh Comrade, none of that. We have to go. We are so late. Lissa is gonna kill me!" she said as she pulled away and grabbed my hand leading me towards the door. I sighed and followed her out, ready to spend the rest of the night with our friends and not getting to have my Roza all to myself.

**REVIEW!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry it's been so long. I just started college and everything is kinda crazy. This one is a bit short and not super detailed but I wanted to get an update in. Please be patient.**

**Not edited so sorry for mistakes**

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA**

**RPOV**

Even though I was excited to visit with Lissa and my other old friends, Dimitri's offer to stay in my hotel room was tempting. I forgot how amazing sex was, especially when it comes to sex with Dimitri, even though I've never been with anyone else. Five years is too long and one of the days this week I'll be sure to spend in bed with Dimitri.

Sure enough, we were about 20 minutes late to dinner and Lissa was not very happy. "I don't even want to know why you are late, just come in and have a seat at the table. Everyone is already in there," she said when she opened the front door. I walked in first with what I'm sure was a huge shit-eating grin on my face. "Was it at least good?" Lissa whispered to me, knowing exactly why we were late.

"You have absolutely no idea," I said smirking. Dimitri let out a chuckle behind us and Lissa let out an exasperated sigh.

As we walked through the front room where the stairs and the front door were, I looked around. To the left of the stairs and door was a spacious living room and straight ahead of the front door was an open door way leading into the kitchen. To the right of the door was the dining room where we were heading.

When we walked into the dining room, everyone turned to look at us. "Sorry we're late guys. You know Dimitri is incapable of being anywhere on time," I told them. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Dimitri roll his eyes and everyone else laughed knowing that was completely untrue.

The table was filled with couples. Mason and Mia, who had apparently been dating since freshman year of college, Eddie and Jill who started dating a month after graduation, Sydney and Adrian, and Christian and Lissa. The last couple was an extremely surprising one; Ivan and Viktoria. My mouth popped open when I saw them sitting together with her hand on his knee and his arm around the back of her chair.

"Rose!" Viktoria squealed as she got out of her chair and came to hug me. "I'm so glad you're here! Oh look at you! You look beautiful!" She gushed with her Russian accent like Dimitri's.

"Vik, I'm so happy to see you! What are you doing here?" I said with a smile.

"I'm here with Ivan. Didn't Dimitri tell you? We've been dating for a year and a half," she said with a wide smile as she turned to back at Ivan. Ivan was absolutely beaming at her. I had never seen him so infatuated with anyone. Viktoria was a year younger than us and I had never even thought about her and Ivan as a couple. Now that I think about it though, they make a great one.

"I'm so happy for you guys. I can't believe you didn't tell me last night Ivan! I even joked about who your flavor of the week was and you just laughed," I said. It's true, Ivan was a player in high school, but I could always tell that he wanted to settle down and that he just could never find the right girl. Unlike Adrian, who I thought would be a player forever and never settle down.

Ivan just shrugged and Viktoria laughed. Viktoria sat back down at her seat and Dimitri and I sat across from her in the only open seats left at the table. The center of the table was covered in food and my stomach growled at the sight. Everyone laughed and I just shrugged and started putting food on my plate. Lissa let out an exasperated sigh because I'm sure she wanted to give some big toast before we started eating. Instead she just waved her hand for me to continue piling food on my plate.

"You cook Sparky?" I asked Christian, knowing how much he loved to bake in high school.

"Of course I did. Some of us have basic culinary skills unlike you," he smirks.

"Okay, in my defense, I told the teacher not to let me operate a stove. It's her fault I almost burnt down the room," I said.

"And you call me Sparky," Christian remarked.

"I lit one fire on accident once. You would light fires in chemistry once a week on purpose because you said that was what experiments were for," I said rolling my eyes at him.

"Yeah well now I teach it and I still light fires once a week for my students to see."

"Yeah you're a real role model there Sparky."

"Okay, enough you two," says Lissa, always the peacekeeper between the two of us.

The rest of dinner went well. We all caught up about everyone's lives. Eddie and Mason were now both local cops. Jill and Mia have their own little boutique in town where they design and make clothes to sell. Adrian told us about this little boy in his art class that was a foster kid named Declan that he and Sydney were considering adopting.

We also discussed Lissa's baby shower. Jill and Mia would be doing decorations and Sydney was in charge of organizing the caterer and other small details. I had asked what they wanted me to do, wanting to be part of it, but they said that all I had to do was show up on time. It made me sad to think that I wasn't doing anything for it since I had missed so much but decided to just smile and forget about it.

At about eleven o'clock, everyone started to go home because they had work the next day since it was Sunday. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do all day tomorrow but Lissa had mentioned me coming over for some private time since she was out on maternity leave because she couldn't work so late into her pregnancy.

Dimitri drove me back to the hotel so that I could gather my stuff and check out. We had decided that I was just going to stay with him for the week since my hotel room was only booked through tomorrow morning.

By the time we reached Dimitri's apartment, I was dead tired. I took a long shower, one that Dimitri joined me in half way through, and fell asleep in the arms of the man I love. If only it could be like this forever was my last thought before drifted into oblivion.


	15. Chapter 15

**OMG GUYS I'M ALIVE! So sorry it has taken me so long to update. Please bear with me. I have school and work and life is just crazy. However, I finally had some inspiration to finish this story and I'm super excited to continue. I AM NOT GIVING UP ON THIS STORY!**

**Also, sorry if I get my past and present tenses wrong, I suck at that haha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy**

**DPOV**

On Monday morning, I woke up to the beeping of an alarm. When I went to turn it off, I realized the groaning figure in my arms. I had almost forgotten that Roza was here. "Comrade, turn that fucking alarm off before I throw it across the room," she groaned as she rolled on her stomach to bury her face in the pillow. I chuckled, knowing how much Roza hates the morning. I have always been a morning person but her, not so much. I turned the alarm off before rolling over and climbing out of bed. I stood and stretched before turning to look down at Rose. She was dressed in just my shirt and the sheets were at her waist with her arm propped under her head as she looked at me with her man eating grin.

"See something you like?" I asked, throwing her own words back at her. She just bit her bottom lip and nodded. She proceeded to get on her hands and knees and crawl towards me. She sat up on her knees and beckoned me towards her with a crook of her finger. I, having little self control when it comes to Roza, walked a couple steps forward until there were a few mere inches between us.

Roza stood up so that she was, for once, looking down at me and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Do you have to go to work today?" she asked with those big brown eyes wide and her lips in a slight pout. I was about to say 'fuck it' and stay in bed with her all day, but knew that I had to go to work. I couldn't just drop my life just to be with Roza.

"I have to go to work milaya, but I'll be back around 3:30," I said reluctantly. Seeing my reluctance, she went in for the kill.

"Please Dimitri, you can skip work just this once," she said in a soft seductive smirk as your hands wandered down my bare chest and her lips began to likely trace from my ear to my jaw. With all the self control I could muster, I grabbed her hips and took a step back.

"Roza," I all but begged, "I love you but I'm not putting my life on hold just because you are here. I have to go to work. Besides, I thought you were going to spend the day with Lissa."

She looked down as if ashamed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have expected you to drop everything. That was rude of me. Plus, you're right. I am going to spend the day with Lissa," she said still looking at her bare feet.

I brought my hand to her jaw and lifted her face so she would meet my eyes. "I know you didn't mean to be rude, and I really would love nothing more than to skip work, throw you on the bed and have my way with you all day today," I said and at that she smiled, "But, I really can't afford to miss work. Spend today with Lissa and maybe later this week you can come to work with me and meet some of the classes. You know I'm teaching self defense right now. We could spar for the students." This granted me a full blown smile and she nodded her head enthusiastically.

When Rose and I were in high school, I had loved to work out. I did martial arts as well as football. The latter I learned when I moved to America because all of the guys told me to try out since I was such a big guy. When I started dating Rose, she told me she wanted to learn self defense. I started training her in basic martial arts and eventually, she became as good, if not better than me. We used to spar all of the time and it was always a very even match, even though I am so much bigger than her. However, she's fast and being a cheerleader, she was also very flexible.

Rose hopped down from the bed and get me a light kiss on the lips. "That sounds amazing. You know, I've become quite good. I have a personal trainer back in LA. We spar all the time. I will give you a run for your money Comrade." With that she walked out of the bedroom, probably towards the kitchen to make coffee.

I thought about her words and stiffened. As happy as I was to hear that she continued her training, I didn't like that she sparred with her personal trainer. The best part about when we sparred was the sexual tension it would cause, which always led to amazing sex. Was that how it was with her personal trainer? _Calm down Dimitri. Her personal trainer could be a woman_, I thought. _Besides, I know that Roza loves me. I have nothing to worry about. _

I took a shower and got dressed in my usual slacks and button up shirt, since my first class of the day was teaching Russian. I was asked to teach a Russian language class this year seeing as I was at the school's disposal and spoke it fluently. I then packed my gym bag with basketball shorts and a St. Vladimir's t-shirt for during my gym classes. After I brushed my teeth and fixed my hair at the nape of my neck, I grabbed my bag and walked to the kitchen. Roza was trying to figure out how to work the coffee machine and was getting very frustrated as she swore and hit the side of it.

I dropped my back and walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. She sighed and instantly relaxed into me. "You know hitting it is not going to magically make it turn on and make coffee out of nonexistent coffee grounds and water," I said as I dragged my lips lightly down her neck.

She huffed and turned around. "Fine Comrade, you can do it yourself. I was just trying to be a good girlfr…" she faded on the last word.

I felt my heart stutter. _Was she about to say girlfriend? Did she just refer to herself as my girlfriend_? "A good what Roza?" I asked quietly, praying I hadn't imagined it. I put my arms on the counter on either side of her and pressed my body against hers so she couldn't escape or avoid the question.

"Look, we both know what I was about to say. It was accidental but it is something I know you want to talk about and I do too, but not right now okay? I just want to enjoy what we have right now before we label anything or figure out where to go from here. Its going to change everything that happens from now on and I just don't want to go there yet. Give me a few more days without thinking about the future, okay?" She said as she looked at me pleadingly. She was right, I did want to talk about it but I knew that once we did, things would get complicated. I could wait and enjoy this time with her for a few more days.

I nodded my head and bent my head to catch her lips with my own. The kiss started sweet and was filled with relief before it quickly became passionate. After a couple of minutes, she pushed me away. "You are the one that said you have to go to work so you aren't allowed to get me all hot and bothered and then leave. Now, make yourself some coffee and get your sexy ass to work," she said before walking away from me and completing her statement with a slap on my ass.

I chuckled and made the coffee. I filled my travel mug and grabbed my bag. I walked over to the couch where Roza was and set my stuff on the coffee table in front it. She was sitting with her feet under her as she switched on the television. I kneeled in front of her, putting my hands on her knees, as she smiled and set down the remote. "Have fun with Lissa today. I'll be back around 3:30." I leaned forward to give her a quick kiss. "I love you," I said before standing up.

"I love you too," she said as she smiled up at me. I smiled back and grabbed my stuff as I walked to the door.

Grabbing my keys and phone, I opened the door to leave. "Oh," I said before I could fully get out the door, "And don't try to cook. I'd like my apartment building to still be standing when I return." She gave me a sarcastic laugh and I chuckled before closing the door and walking to my car.

Once I got to the school, I walked to the office to check my mailbox and check in with the office secretary before walking to my classroom. The classroom was the closest to the gym, for which I was thankful for. Once I got there, I put my bag and coffee down before writing a few things on the board. I still had about 15 minutes until class started so I decided to visit Christian.

I got to Christians class room, which was more like a lab since he taught chemistry. He was putting out different items like petri dishes and Bunsen burners on each of the tables as I walked in. "What are your students going to blow up today?" I asked with a slight smile on my face. Roza was definitely not wrong in calling him 'Sparky'.

"Actually," he said, "We are heating mercury thiocyanate. Nothing is going to blow up but we do have to use fire." He turned around and gave me a grin. I had no idea what 'mercury thiocyanate' was but I decided not to ask. He was the chemist, not me. "So," he said as he walked to stand in front of me, "How was your night?"

I rolled my eyes, something I definitely picked up from Roza. "We were tired and went to bed. Then this morning we woke up, I got dressed, she attempted to make coffee, and I left."

"Only about 2 days in and you already stopped having sex. Man, that is rough. I wasn't expecting you at work today. She already driving you crazy?" he asked with a smirk. I knew he was kidding. He and Rose fought like siblings but they genuinely cared for one another.

"Trust me I wanted to, but I wanted to show her that I'm not going to just put my life on hold just because she is here. I love her and I want her to stay but I also want her to know what she is getting into if she does," I said and he nodded in understanding. "She accidently called herself my girlfriend today," I added on as an afterthought.

"What are we, in middle school? You guys love each other, why wouldn't she call herself that?"

"I know but for her, it's a big deal. Right now we are in a no-strings-attached relationship that actually has too many strings to count but we are avoiding them for now. Calling herself my girlfriend means this is long term and we haven't even talked about what is going to happen after this week. I know that the longer we keep this up the harder it will be, but I just want to be able to enjoy being with her before reality comes crashing down and we start to fight about the future." I have been friends with Christian for a long time, but this is the most I have ever opened up to him. I open up to Lissa quite a bit because I know she understands what I am going through since she goes through the same thing with Rose.

Christian furrows his brow and shakes his head. "I don't know man. I get what you are saying but I think you should talk and get it out of the way so she can either stay or leave. If she stays, you'll be happy but if she leaves, well these last few days will be a terrible reminder of what you lost and the more days there are to remember, the harder it will be." I was about to protest when he held up a hand. "However," he continued, "Her being here for Lissa's baby shower is good for the both of them and I want Lissa to be happy. If you talk to Rose before the shower and she decides to leave, she will leave Lissa too and I don't want that just yet. So, talk to her after the shower."

I nodded and just then, the bell rang. Students began to pile in from the halls and I waved to Christian and walked back to my classroom.

My mind kept wandering throughout first period, so I decided to finish the lecture early and let the students work on their homework assignments for the rest of the hour. I sat at my desk, daydreaming about Roza when I heard a voice speak. "Mr. Belikov?" I looked up to see Ashley, one of my brightest students, standing in front of my desk with a paper in her shaking hands. Ashley was a sweet girl, with light brownish blonde hair that was always braided and big glasses. She wore beat up jeans and a plain green t-shirt. She was a very fidgety and nervous girl, but she was extremely smart and always very respectful to me and all of the other teachers. "I have the assignment finished. May I turn it in?" I nodded and took the paper. She was about to turn around to sit back down when she looked back at me. She took a deep breath and approached closer to my desk.

"Yes Ashley?" I asked concerned. She looked even more nervous than usual.

Leaning forward a bit she asked in a low voice, "Are you really dating Rose Hathaway?" I was taken aback by her question for a few reasons. First being that I wondered how she found out I was with Rose, the other reason being that I couldn't believe that Ashley would be the one to ask such a personal question.

"Why would you think that?" I asked, hiding all of my emotions away.

"I saw the video of you kissing her after her performance on YouTube. You also seem really distracted today but also a lot happier than I've ever seen you. I just figured maybe the rumors were true and you guys were dating." I was shocked. Not only was this girl extremely observant, she was speaking the absolute truth. Worried about my silence, she quickly reverted back to her shy self. "Nevermind, it's none of my business. I shouldn't have asked, sorry."

"Ashley, wait," I said before she could bolt back to her seat. She turned back to me with surprise. "How many people think that Rose and I are dating?"

"Well, I don't know. Everyone saw the video. Some people said you were just a crazed fan and you tried to molest her or something. Most people though just assume you're dating," she replied sheepishly.

"And what do you think?" I asked.

"Well, I don't…um…I don't know." She looked astounded that someone actually asked what she thought. "I guess I think that you guys have a history together, seeing as you both graduated from here and you seem to be around the same age. I think that she's the reason why you always seem sad but now that she's back, you are happy because you have a second chance," she said more confidently than I have ever seen her.

I took a deep breath to hold back my gasp of shock. Talk about hitting the nail on the head. "You know Ashley; you are a little too good at observing people. You should be a therapist," I said, giving her a small smile. She lightly laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "You're 100% correct, but try to keep it to yourself okay?" I asked, not seeing a point in hiding it from her.

"I can promise I have no friends to tell," she said sadly. She gave me a small smile before turning and walking back to her seat. I looked around to see if anyone noticed our conversation but everyone was busy conversing with other people. Ashley really did walk around unnoticed by everyone. It made me a little angry that such a sweet and smart girl could be overlooked so easily just because she was shy and didn't dress the trendiest.

The bell rang again and I gathered my stuff to go to the locker room to change for my gym class. As I walked to the gym, I felt someone walk up next to me. I turned my head to the right and smiled.

"Tasha."

**Tasha is in the house! Hehehehe What did you think of Ashley? What was Rose thinking during this chapter? I'M SO EXCITED TO BE BACK! I cannot guarantee that I will update soon but I will try! **

**PLEASE REVIEW! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**I'M BACK! I'm so sorry please forgive me for taking so long to update! I've been suffering from some major writer's block and I've been super busy with school and work. **

**I started this story without a really thought out plan on where I wanted it to go but I finally forced myself to come up with a bit of an outline and I have a much better idea of where we are headed. I'm thinking that this story will be about 31 chapters (including the epilogue) but it could be more depending on how much I can write and where I want to split the chapters up at.**

**Again I'm sorry but I promise I will do better! My spring break is a week away so I'm hoping to have almost all of it complete by the time my Spring Break is over :) **

**Please Review! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to the amazing Richelle Mead**

**RPOV**

After Dimitri left for work, I called Lissa to make sure she was up and around and to see what time she wanted me to come over. She told me to come over whenever I wanted since she would be around all day. Being so far along in her pregnancy, she had to take an early maternity leave from work since being a nurse was too taxing on the baby, but I know sitting around at home by herself was probably boring and she liked having company.

Before I went to Lissa's, I decided to go on a run to the school and pick up my rental car since it had been there for a while and I would need it to get across town to Lissa's place. The school was about 2 miles from Dimitri's apartment which was the perfect distance for a good morning run. After changing into running gear, I grabbed my rental car keys from my purse and Dimitri's spare key and put them in the small pocket in the back of my Lulu leggings before leaving.

The run was quick and being outdoors felt nice. Being early April, it was surprisingly chilly, or maybe it was just because the weather was colder in Montana than it was in sunny California where I was used to. Running through the small town, I was assaulted with memories of growing up. I passed the little ice cream shop that Abe took me to after the first time we met. He wanted to take me somewhere that a normal father would take his daughter and me being me, I couldn't refuse free ice cream. After that first meeting, it became tradition to get ice cream there together at least once a month and they were always my happiest moments with my dad since we refused to fight during these little get-togethers.

I then ran past the small movie theatre in town which reminded me of my first date with Dimitri. We had gone to dinner at the local diner his mother worked at, which she would eventually come to own. She luckily wasn't working that night, lucky because it would have been awkward to meet his mother on our first date. We had sat and talked for a long time, almost missing the movie because we were so caught up in our conversation. He had told me about his love of martial arts and his interest in joining the football team and I had told him about my love of singing and how after graduation I had wanted to move to L.A. and get out of this town. At the time I think that we both thought it was a pipe dream and it wouldn't be until about a year and a half later that it would start to become more of a reality. The memory of the date put a bright smile on my face and anyone passing me on the street probably thought I looked crazy.

Once I got to the school, I debated going in and saying hello to Dimitri but decided against it, not wanting to bother him at work. Unlocking the car, I hopped in and drove back to Dimitri's apartment.

Once I got into the apartment, I took a quick shower and threw on some jeans and a tank top with a light cardigan and my Vans. With that I locked up the apartment, got in my car, and drove to Lissa's.

After I arrived, I sat in the car for a minute and took a deep breath. Don't get me wrong, I was excited to see Lissa and spend the day with her. I was just a little afraid as well. I knew that she was going to ask me a lot of questions about my life in L.A. and about Dimitri. It wasn't that I minded answering the questions, it's just that I had a feeling I would be coming to some major conclusions about my life after this talk since Lissa always had the ability to make me see things that I either hadn't seen yet or didn't want to face.

Taking a final deep breath, I got out of the car and went to the front door. I knocked and Lissa answered a minute later, ushering me into the living room and sitting me on the couch. After going to the kitchen and coming back with two hot chocolates, the interrogation began.

"So, how's Dimitri?" she asked giving me a knowing look as she sat down on the couch next to me.

I just rolled my eyes. "He is fine, great even. I've missed him more than you can even imagine," I said as I took a sip of my hot chocolate.

"He's missed you too. It was true what I said at the reunion Rose, he was a mess when you left and he hasn't so much as looked at another girl since you've been gone. I'm glad you feel the same way. Has there been anyone else since you left?" I knew she wanted to know because she was curious, not because she wanted me to feel bad if I had moved on and Dimitri hadn't.

"I went out with a couple people in L.A., mostly because being in the public eye, people throw you together with someone in the tabloids and the fans get so excited that it actually seems appealing or like it might be a good match. It's hardly ever true though. The guys were nice but they weren't Dimitri and I think they could tell by the end of the second date that I just wasn't into it." It was true. I wasn't ready to move on but figuring Dimitri wasn't going to come after me any time soon, I thought I should give it a try. It never worked.

"Well that's understandable. If we are being honest here, I actually tried to set Dimitri up a couple times," she stated carefully, no doubt worried at my reaction to that. "Now before you get angry at me you have to understand, I honestly thought at the time that you were seeing Ambrose and I wanted him to at least attempt to move on in case you didn't come back. But, you'll be happy to know that no matter who I sent his way he wasn't interested and after the third girl I sent towards him, I gave up. I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad, I just thought you had a right to know what he has been doing since you left. Plus, it is a small town and almost all the single women in it have tried to ask Dimitri out so I wanted to give you a heads up."

I surprisingly was not mad at her trying to set him up. Honestly, I'm glad she did. It just showed how much she cared for Dimitri and even though it would have been hard to have come back and find that he moved on, if he had and was happy I would have been happy for him. I had been selfish enough regarding our relationship I wouldn't hold it against him if he would have moved on. "Honestly Lis, I'm not mad. You just wanted what was best for him and I understand that. I'm glad he had you after I left. As happy as I am that we are back together again, I would have been okay if he would have moved on. Upset, but happy for him."

She gave me a sad smile and grabbed my hand, giving it a supportive squeeze. "Well, enough about that. He didn't move on and you are here and you and he are...what exactly are you and he?"

I sighed, "I'm not really sure. We keep telling each other we love one another but we haven't labeled it. Although I did accidentally call myself his girlfriend this morning."

"Well what's wrong with that? I mean if you are saying 'I love you' and you're sleeping together, aren't you his girlfriend?"

"I want to be," I replied honestly. "I just know that once we start labeling it like that, it means that this is long term. Don't get me wrong, I want it to be long term but there are just so many things we have to talk about and compromise on to be able to get to the stage where we understand that this is long term. Right now, it is more like reminiscing and picking up where we left off five years ago instead of starting a new relationship."

"Rose, I really think you two need to talk this out soon. The more you don't address the problems, the harder it is going to be if they can't be solved. I know you guys can work it out but it is going to take time and you're only here for the week."

"I know you're right, I'm just not ready yet. I will soon though, don't worry," I said giving her a reassuring smile.

"Alright, I guess that's the best I'm going to get. Now onto the other difficult conversation that might make you mad," she said giving me a serious look. Oh boy. I already knew where this was going and I was not looking forward to it. "How has your depression been?"

I took a long sip of my hot chocolate, set it down and stared at my hands for a minute, trying to stall. "It's been…alright. It got bad right after I left." If only she knew just how bad it got, but I'm not going to worry her with that. "I've been on some antidepressants for the last four years and they have helped. The first year was the roughest but after I got my record deal, I became so busy and was so surrounded by people that it got a lot better, along with the pills to help of course."

I always hated talking about my depression, even with Lissa. Back during my freshman year of high school, I started cutting myself. Lissa once caught me when she came over to talk to me about a fight her and Christian had. She had freaked out and bandaged me up, yelling at me the whole time for not telling her something was wrong. She promised to keep my secret of the cuttings as long as I got treatment. After that night, I talked to my parents and told them I wanted to see a therapist because I had been feeling sad. Abe had only been in my life for about a month at that point and was fully supportive of me getting help. My mother on the other hand didn't seem to take me very seriously. She just said I had a good life and I had nothing to be depressed about so I should just suck it up. She never fully came around but after the first appointment, the doctor told my parents I had Clinical Depression and she seemed to realize this was more serious than me just moping around. I never wanted to take antidepressants though. My therapist understood my love of singing and being in the spotlight so she realized that the best advice she could give me was to get more involved in public things like joining a sports team or a choir. She said it might help to surround myself with some kind of support system but in some cases surrounding yourself with people makes depression worse so I should tell her if it gets any worse. At the time, my school didn't have a choir but I did like to dance so I decided to join cheerleading. Even though I wasn't super close with the rest of the team, it did help to surround myself with other people and regardless of my depression, I still loved to be the center of attention. It got even better once I began opening up to all my friends and they became my support system. My depression almost completely went away though after I met Dimitri.

"I can't believe you are taking antidepressants. You always refused in high school. What changed?" She seemed a little suspicious, knowing I hated the thought of a pill controlling my emotions. I couldn't exactly tell her I didn't have much of a choice unless I wanted to tell her about what happened in my first year away, which I planned on keeping to myself for as long as possible.

"I guess I just realized that it was my best option since I didn't have as many friends to lean on," I said with a shrug. Even though that wasn't the actual reason, it seemed plausible and wasn't a complete lie.

"Rose Hathaway," Lissa said in a serious and angry tone, "Don't you dare pull that shit of you not having any friends. You left us remember? I'm not mad at you and I understand you were busy and we didn't make an effort to contact you either but you knew you were suffering and if you needed to lean on someone you had plenty of people you could have called."

"I know that now Lis, I was just stubborn. I guess I didn't want to believe that I needed anything or anyone from my past. I know you think that I could have called you if I needed someone to lean on but honestly, I think that would have made it worse. I knew that if I called you or Dimitri I would consider coming back because I missed you guys but I owed it to myself to see this music career out and not give up on it before it even started because I wasn't strong enough to be without you." It felt good to finally get that off my chest. I didn't mean to make stupid excuses for not staying in contact with everyone but I did have my reasons.

"Oh Rose," Lissa said pulling me in for a hug. "I'm sorry. I understand it must have been hard being away from home all by yourself. I'm just glad it all worked out for you in the end." Lissa must have realized something was up when I stiffened after she said that. "What?" she asked pulling back from our hug, "It did work out didn't it?"

I sighed, again. How was I supposed to complain about a life that most people would kill for? "I'm grateful to have accomplished everything I have. It's more than I could have ever imagined for myself. It's just that…it's lonely. I'm surrounded by all these people but none of them know me, or at least the real me not the 'Superstar Rose Hathaway' that everyone thinks I am. At the end of the day, I go home alone and I don't have anyone to talk to about the pressures of being in the spotlight all the time, except Ambrose. Honestly, I think my depression would have been a lot worse it if wasn't for Ambrose. He's been a good friend to me. JUST a friend," I added when I saw Lissa raise an eyebrow at me. "He has helped me a lot when it comes to dealing with the pressures of fame. I have no privacy and anyone I get close to is subjected to harassment from tabloids and fans. I love the music, I love the recording and the fans are amazing but the fame that goes along with it is overrated." I hadn't told anyone but Ambrose about my feelings about my career and it felt good to talk to someone. I knew that I should probably talk to Dimitri about this too but that worried me. I didn't want him to think I didn't like my life and assume that I would give up my career to stay with him. I couldn't do that to my fans and like I said, I still loved the music making process and the performing.

Lissa looked thoughtful for a minute. "So what are you gonna do about it?" That was it? That was her genius response to me pouring my heart out to her? Well that was anti-climactic.

"What do you mean what am I gonna do about it? What can I do about it? Being in the spotlight is kinda part of the job description Lis," I replied in a "duh" kind of voice.

She rolled her eyes. "What I mean is you need to decide whether you want to give it up or you want to live with the consequences. I can see that this is eating you up and you're unhappy. If you weren't you wouldn't have just spilled your guts to me so easily. I say you can either retire and continue to make music, just not for anyone but yourself and your friends, or you can figure out a way to cope with it and do it."

"That's it? That's my only two options? And don't you think if I could find a better way to cope with it I would have done it by now? Jeez Lis, your pregnancy has seriously affected your ability to give good advice," I teased.

"Look I know it doesn't seem like the best advice but now that Dimitri and I are in your life again, maybe we could help you come up with a better way for you to cope. We can help you with the loneliness and maybe you could ask Abe to help get the tabloids off your back. If anyone could make them disappear and leave you alone, it would be your dad." I smiled at that. Honestly I had thought about calling Lissa and Dimitri a million times to help cope with the loneliness but I just thought that it would only make it worse once I hung up. As for talking to Abe about the tabloids, that was a new thought. Maybe Lissa had a point. My options seem pretty limited but she and Dimitri were here to help me decide which option might be best.

"Maybe you're right Lis. I don't know, I think I need to talk to Dimitri. I have a feeling that by the end of the week, my decision on what I'm going to do will be made. I guess I'm just worried that no matter what I say, Dimitri will want me to give up my career and stay here."

"You should know that he just wants you to happy Rose. You guys will figure it out and even if he wishes you would give it all up and stay, he wouldn't ask you to do that, no matter how much you complained." She had a point about that I guess.

After that, Lissa changed the topic. We spent the rest of the afternoon reminiscing about old times and she caught me up on all the town gossip since I had left. I told her about the cool parts of fame and all of the cool places I had been and some of the funny fans I had come across. At 4:00 I decided that I should head back since I knew Dimitri would be home and I had to get ready to go to dinner with my parents. I hugged Lissa goodbye and left with her giving me a "good luck" and an encouraging smile knowing that this dinner was probably going to be not so fun. At least Dimitri would be there.

**A/N: Honestly, I'm not thrilled with how this chapter turned out but I really felt like I needed to get this conversation over with so you could have some more background information and I could move on with the plot line. **

**I hope to have the next chapter up by the Monday evening so keep a lookout and please leave a review!**

**Also, sorry for any typos, I didn't edit it very well**


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm back! I promised you a Monday update so here it is!**

**Be warned, I didn't have much of a chance to edit this so excuse any misspellings or grammatical errors**

**Also there is a MAJOR LEMON in this chapter so I hope you all enjoy ;)**

**Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own VA**

**DPOV**

"Tasha," I said with a polite smile as she walked next to me down the hall. Tasha had become a good friend of mine in the year I have been working here. She was the female gym teacher so we taught all our classes together. St. Vlad's had co-ed gym classes but we still had a female and male instructor to keep an eye on in the locker room and to make sure both the girls and boys had someone they were comfortable with since these classes were physically taxing. Tasha had been here for only two years but she was a good teacher, although she let me take the lead in all our classes.

"How are you today Dimitri?" she asked politely but I could already tell why she really wanted to talk to me.

"I'm great, how are you?"

"Oh I'm fine," she said quickly before going in for the kill, "So, I saw a very interesting video on the internet this morning." Ah, there it is. Wonderful, another person butting into my personal life. Is this how Roza felt all the time? I did not envy that at all.

"And what was this video about?" I asked playing dumb.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't play dumb Dimka, the video of you and Rose Hathaway of course. I never knew you were a Rose Petal." Ugh, a Rose Petal. I hated that stupid phrase. Damn tweens and their obsession with trying to come up with cleaver fan base names. It was bad enough with Beliebers and Swifties.

"I am not a Rose Petal. Rose and I have history if you must know. Anyway, I didn't know someone was going to tape that or I never would have done it in front of everyone." I didn't know why I was trying to justify this to her. If I wanted to kiss Rose on stage then I could and I didn't need to defend myself to anyone.

"Christian said you guys dated for a couple years. I didn't realize that you guys still had feelings for each other, or at least you still have feelings for her." I know she didn't mean anything by it but that comment got my defenses up. What the hell was that supposed to mean? That Rose didn't share my feelings? How did Tasha know? Whatever, it didn't matter what she believed, Rose's opinion was all that mattered. Damn Christian and his big mouth though. I know Tasha is his cousin but did he have to share my business with her, even if she is my friend?

"We do still have feelings for each other. BOTH of us. Anyways, class is about to start we should round everyone up from the locker rooms," I said trying to get away from this conversation and was seems like a ton of judgement on Tasha's part. I know she was just curious but I can't help but feel like she was judging me and Rose.

With that, I got all the guys into the gym and started the class. Tasha and I partnered people together and showed them a couple offensive and defensive self-defense moves that they could safely try together. After the first class I had my free period which I used to grade papers from my Russian class and work on the curriculum in my office inside the boy's locker room. Then I had another gym class and after that was lunch.

Usually lunch was something I enjoyed. My fellow teachers were all kind and it was nice to have lunch with Christian and Tasha. Today, however, was a different story. I walked into the teacher's lounge and was met with brief silence as everyone stared at me. After a moment of awkward silence, the other teachers went back to whispering to each other rapidly while stealing glances back to me. I just rolled my eyes. I swear, teachers are worse than students when it comes to gossip sometimes. I sat next to Christian with a sigh. He gave me a pat on the shoulder and a sympathetic look. Lunch went surprisingly quickly regardless of all the whispers of how I "molested Rose Hathaway" or how I was a "crazed Rose Petal" or even one about how rumor has it I proposed to Rose after we had kissed and she had slapped me and had security remove me from the gym. Christian thought that one was particularly funny.

After lunch I had three more gym classes and another free period that I used to work on the curriculum for my gym classes. I loved having a free period at the end of the day because it meant I could get all my work done early and go home once the final bell rang instead of having to stay for an extra hour or so like the other teachers. The rest of the day was slow and filled with even more rumors of Rose and I. I even had a couple brave students ask me if Rose was a good kisser or if she slapped me after it happened. I just glared at them and told them to run five laps. After the first couple people were forced to do laps, no one else dared speak of the incident or ask me about it.

After my last free period was up I was readier to go home than ever. I quickly gathered my stuff and practically ran out of the building, only sparing Tasha a wave as she yelled goodbye to me. Usually I wasn't in such a rush after school but today I actually had someone waiting for me at home. We had only been apart for about eight hours and I already missed her. I missed her voice and her smile and her touch. What would I do when she left at the end of the week? I honestly couldn't even think about it right now.

I raced home as it started down pouring outside, only to find my apartment empty. Rose must still be at Lissa's. As happy as I was to see she and Lissa reconnect, I could help but be a bit disappointed she wasn't here waiting for me. Not that I am selfish enough to think she should be waiting at my beck and call but I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before she… Alright I can't think about that right now. In a few days I will have to face reality but not right now. I sat down on the couch thinking I might read for a little while until she got back. That lasted a total of fifteen minutes. I just couldn't seem to focus. I was too restless. I decided to take a shower since we would be going to Abe and Janine's in a couple hours.

After taking a long shower, I felt a bit more relaxed. Hoping out I dried myself off and put a towel around my waist. I walked into my room only to be met with the most incredible sight I had ever seen. This has got to be a dream.

**M Scene**

On my bed, leaning back against my headboard completely naked, sat Rose. And oh what a sight it was. She had her legs bent and spread out so I could see every part of her amazing body and she had her hand between her legs touching herself. My God.

She bit her bottom lip and stared directly at me with those beautiful big brown eyes. "Wanna help a girl out Comrade?" she purred sweetly as she slowly rubbed her clit with her right hand. I had never seen such a hot scene in my life. I was completely stuck in the place I was standing, the only part of me moving was my eyes as they wandered to watch her hand and my cock as it started to grow hard watching the sight in front of me.

Seeing that I was apparently enjoying the view and didn't plan on moving she removed her hand, causing a small whimper to leave my lips. Getting on her hands and knees she crawled to the end of the bed. Sitting up on her knees she crooked her finger at me, compelling me to walk towards her.

When I was close enough, Rose grabbed me, pulling me so our chests were almost touching but not quite. "I'm sorry I'm late Mr. Belikov," she said in a sweet innocent voice as her hands wandered up and down my chest. "I got caught up and then it started raining and I was completely drenched but I didn't have any spare clothes. I hope you don't mind I took them all off to let them dry."

Christ, the things this woman did to me. As her hands started to wander down to my towel, I took control of the situation. I grabbed her wrists and pushed her back onto the bed, hovering over her. My towel came loose and fell off but I didn't care. I pinned her in place and grinded my cock against her, causing her to moan. I leaned down so my lips were next to her ear. "You've been a very bad girl Roza. You know how I hate tardiness," I whispered lowly in her ear. "What shall we do to punish you?" This caused her whimper and grind her hips against me. Sometimes I forget just how kinky she was. It was hot as hell.

"Please Sir, I promise to never be late again," she said apologetically, keeping up the charade of innocence even though her body and eyes were screaming at me to punish her, to do whatever I wanted to her. Some people may think it was sadistic but it was more about trust. Trust that I wouldn't hurt her, just bring her pleasure from small doses of pain.

"I'm afraid that is not good enough Roza," I said as I pulled back and flipped her over on her stomach. I hovered over her again, my lips by her ear, one of my hands trailing from her shoulders down to her ass. "Maybe I should spank you, would that be a good punishment?" I asked as I slapped her right ass cheek hard once. She gasped and then moans as my hand rubbed over the red mark I left. "No, you seem to enjoy that too much. I don't think that would be a very good punishment." I paused as if to be thinking about what to do. Too bad I already knew exactly how to punish Rose. "I know, you will follow this simple rule," I said before chuckling darkly, letting my fingers run down the cleft of her pussy. "You will not come until I give you permission." At that Rose stiffened briefly before releasing a low groan. Delayed gratification, I had learned in the two years we were together, was the best way to punish Rose. She appreciated it after it was over but not letting her come right away was beyond frustrating to her.

"I accept my punishment sir," she said in resignation. I know she found it frustrating but I also knew that the outcome and the orgasm I eventually let her have would be well worth it.

"Good," I said with a grin as I got over her and told her to flip back over so she was laying on her back. "Hands above your head Roza, and keep them there or I will be forced to tie them there."

"Yes Mr. Belikov," she said sweetly as she stretched her arms above her head and arched her back in the process. She looked good enough to eat, and eat I would.

I gave her a smug smile and she rolled her eyes. I raised an eyebrow, asking if she was challenging me. She gave me a small wink before throwing me her man eater smile. I chuckled and grabbed her left ankle, spreading her legs apart. I took my time kissing up each leg and then up her torso and giving each breast the same attention. She whimpered, wanted to bury her hands in my hair, but her hands remained above her head. After teasing her for a good long while, I went in for the kill. I gave her one long lick and shoved two fingers in her. She was soaking wet and so tight. My god, I had missed this. No sex for one year is hard. No sex for three years is almost unbearable, but after year four, you almost forget what it's like and you don't really miss it that much. Now I truly remember what I was missing out on.

It took every ounce of my self-control not to just give up the teasing and ram into her, bringing both of us to our releases. I waited though, knowing the end result would pay off for the both of us. Right as I felt her about to come on my tongue I pulled back. She groaned in frustration. "Please Dimitri, please let me come," she begged.

"Not yet milaya," I said kissing up her neck and laying my body over her. "Soon though. I'm afraid punishing you is also punishing myself and I am running out of patience.

She giggled, no doubt wanting to make some joke about my amazingly strong self-control. She didn't say anything though, just wrapped her legs around my waist and brought our centers unbearably close but not quite close enough. I kissed her on the mouth, reveling in the feeling of our tongues entwined and the taste of her in my mouth. She kept her arms above her head but I could tell she was getting frustrated because she couldn't touch me. Before she could complain or beg me to let her touch me, I rammed into her.

We both let out long groans of pleasure, like the first drink of water after walking all day in the desert. Total satisfaction and a feeling of utter completeness washed over me. I loved this woman. I started with a slow and steady pace, keeping eye contact, making it more like making love than rough sex like we had been having since she came back into my life. I didn't stop her when she brought her hands up to my shoulders, letting them wander up my neck, to my hair, tracing my face, digging into my back. After a couple minutes I couldn't take it anymore. I kissed her hard one last time before pounding into her will all my might. She screamed, I moaned. She begged to come, and I finally let her, coming right along with her.

**End M Scene ;)**

I lay my weight on her, knowing she can take it. She releases a deep sigh and runs her hands through my hair as I hum in content and trace my lips across her shoulder and neck.

"You know I hate that punishment," she said in a teasing voice.

"I know, but it wouldn't be much of a punishment if you enjoyed it too much would it?" I said pulling off her a bit to see her face and raise an eyebrow at her.

She rolled her eyes and smiled at me. "I guess not," she said as she coiled her arms around my neck and brought my mouth down to meet hers in a loving and sweet kiss.

I pulled out of her and rolled over, looking at the clock. It was almost 5:00 and we had to be at Abe and Janine's at 6. "We should probably start getting ready to go over to your parents' house," I said in a reluctant voice, not wanting to get out of bed.

Rose sighed. "Well I guess I am not going to convince you to let me skip and stay in bed with you instead am I?"

"Roza, you should really talk to your parents. As much as I want to stay here with you for the rest of the night, you need to go to this dinner. Try to give them the benefit of the doubt. They really did miss you," I said as I kissed her forehead and got up, walking towards my dresser.

"I know, and I know I shouldn't be mad at them. I didn't try to contact them so it's just as much my fault that we haven't been in touch. It's just…nevermind," she said looking down and playing with the edge of the sheets.

"It's just what Roza?" I asked as I went back to sit down next to her after putting on my boxers.

"I'm their daughter. Kids lose touch with their parents all the time but the parents still make an effort to see them because it's their child, their kin. I guess I just thought that even if I didn't make the first move to contact them, they would try and talk to me because I'm their only child. I know it sounds stupid and really selfish. It just makes me think they aren't proud of everything I have accomplished, that they are disappointed in me." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh Roza," I said as I pulled her towards me and hugged her. "They are proud of you. You should hear Abe rave to everyone about how his daughter is 'Superstar Rose Hathaway'. Your mother too. Just hear them out. Maybe they had a good reason to not contact you." She nodded and pulled away, wiping away the tears that managed to fall. She kissed my cheek and went to get ready.

Once we were both ready we made our way to my truck, grateful it had stopped raining already. We drove in comfortable silence to her old house. When we pulled up the long driveway, I could feel Rose become more tense. I parked and reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze. "It'll be fine Roza," I said and gave her a quick peck on the mouth.

She gave me a small smile and then took a deep breath. "Alright Comrade, let's get this over with."

**Another chapter! How exciting! I probably won't update for the rest of the week because I have midterms but I will hopefully have another chapter up by the end of the weekend :)**

**Please review!**


End file.
